Pentax XG-1 vs Sony a5100

Let's look much closer at the Pentax XG-1 and Sony a5100, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Pentax and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the resolutions of the XG-1 (16MP) and a5100 (24MP) and the XG-1 (1/2.3") and a5100 (APS-C) use totally different sensor measurements.

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The XG-1 was unveiled at a similar time to the a5100 which means that they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Pentax XG-1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the XG-1 scores vs the a5100 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax XG-1 & Sony Alpha a5100. The full galleries are provided at Pentax XG-1 Gallery & Sony a5100 Gallery.

If you're intending to travel with your camera often, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Pentax XG-1 has got exterior dimensions 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 a5100 has proportions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") along with a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).

Look at the Pentax XG-1 and Sony a5100 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the XG-1 against the a5100.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XG-1 and a5100 is 66 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it is tough to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by going through a spec sheet. The image below may offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the XG-1 and a5100.

As you can see, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The XG-1 having a smaller sensor will make achieving bokeh harder and the Sony a5100 will produce more detail having an extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images somewhat more aggressively.