Pentax XG-1 vs Sony HX99

The following is a thorough analysis of the Pentax XG-1 and Sony HX99, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by companies Pentax and Sony. The resolution of the XG-1 (16MP) and the HX99 (18MP) is fairly comparable but the XG-1 (1/2.3") and HX99 (1/2.3-inch) have totally different sensor measurements.

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The XG-1 was unveiled 5 years prior to the HX99 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Pentax XG-1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony HX99 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a thorough comparison, here is a short summary of how the XG-1 matches up vs the HX99 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax XG-1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX99. The full galleries are provided at Pentax XG-1 Gallery & Sony HX99 Gallery.

If you're going to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Pentax XG-1 has outside dimensions of 119mm x 89mm x 98mm (4.7" x 3.5" x 3.9") along with a weight of 567 grams (1.25 lbs) and the Sony HX99 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 242 grams (0.53 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax XG-1 and Sony HX99 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the XG-1 and the HX99.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XG-1 and HX99 is 66 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions simply by checking out technical specs. The pic below might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the XG-1 and HX99.

As you can tell, both cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The XG-1 using its larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Sony HX99 will show greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively. The more aged XG-1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.