Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A300

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Pentax XG-1 and Sony A300, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Pentax and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the XG-1 (16MP) and A300 (10MP) and the XG-1 (1/2.3") and A300 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The XG-1 was announced 6 years after the A300 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Pentax XG-1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple overview of how the XG-1 scores against the A300 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax XG-1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A300. The whole galleries are available at Pentax XG-1 Gallery & Sony A300 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry around your camera regularly, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Pentax XG-1 features external measurements of 119mm x 89mm x 98mm (4.7" x 3.5" x 3.9") with a weight of 567 grams (1.25 lbs) and the Sony A300 has dimensions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check the Pentax XG-1 and Sony A300 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at that moment. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the XG-1 and the A300.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the XG-1 and A300 is 66 and 64 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes purely by checking out specs. The pic below should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the XG-1 and A300.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The XG-1 with its smaller sensor will make getting bokeh more difficult and the Pentax XG-1 will show extra detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The fresher XG-1 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.