Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A77

In this write-up, we will be contrasting the Pentax XG-1 and Sony A77, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Pentax and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the XG-1 (16MP) and A77 (24MP) and the XG-1 (1/2.3") and A77 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The XG-1 was manufactured 2 years after the A77 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Pentax XG-1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A77 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the XG-1 matches up versus the A77 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax XG-1 & Sony SLT-A77. The entire galleries are provided at Pentax XG-1 Gallery & Sony A77 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Pentax XG-1 has got external dimensions of 119mm x 89mm x 98mm (4.7" x 3.5" x 3.9") with a weight of 567 grams (1.25 lbs) whilst the Sony A77 has proportions of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 732 grams (1.61 lbs).

See the Pentax XG-1 and Sony A77 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is the front view size comparison of the XG-1 versus the A77.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XG-1 and A77 is 66 and 59 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to see the contrast between sensor sizes only by reading through technical specs. The pic underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the XG-1 and A77.

As you have seen, both cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The XG-1 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony A77 will give more detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs far more aggressively. The younger XG-1 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.