Sony Alpha 6100 vs Pentax 645Z

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sony Alpha 6100 and the Pentax 645Z, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Sony Alpha 6100 was introduced in August 2019 and Pentax 645Z was introduced in April 2014. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 6100 over Pentax 645Z.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax 645Z over Sony Alpha 6100.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Sony Alpha 6100 has a 3.0" screen with 922k dot resolution and Pentax 645Z has a 3.2" screen with 1,037k dot resolution. Both have Tilting screens. Tilting screen makes cameras very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Sony Alpha 6100 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Sony Alpha 6100 has a built-in 0.39" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 1,440k dot resolution and Pentax 645Z has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. Sony Alpha 6100 has 100% coverage with 1.07x (0.71x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Pentax 645Z has 98% coverage with 0.56x (0.71x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Sony Alpha 6100 features a 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 366.6 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 32,000 and expands to 100 - 51,200 in boosted mode. Pentax 645Z features a 51.4 megapixel Medium format CMOS sensor with dimensions of 44 x 33 mm and a total area of 1089 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 204,800.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Sony Alpha 6100 is equipped with BIONZ X processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. Pentax 645Z is equipped with PRIME III processor and can take pictures up to 8256 x 6192 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 6912 x 5184, 5376 x4032, 1920 x 1080 with 4:3 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Sony Alpha 6100 has Sony E lens mount and Pentax 645Z has Pentax 645_AF2 lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Sony Alpha 6100 its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5. Due to Medium format sensor in Pentax 645Z its crop factor is equal to 0.79x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 0.79.

No Low-Pass Filter on Pentax 645Z

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Pentax 645Z. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Sony Alpha 6100 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Pentax 645Z nothing can be done. On Pentax 645Z it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sony Alpha 6100 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Sony Alpha 6100

Sony Alpha 6100 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Sony Alpha 6100

Sony Alpha 6100 has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

NFC on Sony Alpha 6100

Sony Alpha 6100 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Sony Alpha 6100 has a Micro HDMI and Pentax 645Z has a Micro Type D HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sony Alpha 6100 comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 420 shots and Pentax 645Z comes with D-LI90 battery pack with battery life of 650 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sony Alpha 6100 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo Hybrid (UHS-I) card slot. Pentax 645Z has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slots.

Shutter

Sony Alpha 6100 has Electronic shutter. Pentax 645Z has Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Sony Alpha 6100, and up to 1/4000 sec on Pentax 645Z. Sony Alpha 6100 can shoot continuously up to 11.0 fps. Pentax 645Z can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps.

Focusing

Sony Alpha 6100 has Fast Hybrid AF (Phase-detection / Contrast-detection) system with 425 focusing points and Pentax 645Z has 27 focusing points. Sony Alpha 6100 has detection range from -2 to +20 EV and Pentax 645Z has detection range from -3 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Sony Alpha 6100 and Pentax 645Z range from -2 to +20 EV and -1 to +21 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony Alpha 6100 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax 645Z.

Flash

Sony Alpha 6100 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 6.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Intelligent Hot Shoe or Wireless connection. Pentax 645Z has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or X-Sync Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/160 sec on Sony Alpha 6100 and 1/125 sec on Pentax 645Z.

Sony Alpha 6100 body has dimensions of 120 x 67 x 59 mm (4.72 x 2.64 x 2.32") and Pentax 645Z body has dimensions of 156 x 117 x 123 mm (6.14 x 4.61 x 4.84"). Sony Alpha 6100 weighs 396 g (0.87 lb / 13.97 oz) and Pentax 645Z weighs 1550 g (3.42 lb / 54.67 oz).

Sony Alpha 6100

Pentax 645Z

120 mm

67 mm

156 mm

117 mm

67 mm

117 mm

59 mm

123 mm