Sony Alpha 6100 vs Pentax XG-1

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sony Alpha 6100 and the Pentax XG-1, 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 XG-1 was introduced in July 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 XG-1.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax XG-1 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 and Pentax XG-1 have 3.0" screens with 922k dot and 460k dot resolutions respectively. Sony Alpha 6100 has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Pentax XG-1 has a Fixed screen 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 XG-1 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 200k dot resolution. Sony Alpha 6100 has 100% coverage with 1.07x (0.71x 35mm equivalent) magnification and 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 XG-1 features a 16 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 3,200.

Pentax XG-1 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Sony Alpha 6100 is equipped with BIONZ X processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. Pentax XG-1 can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3648 x 2736, 2592 x 1944, 640 x 480, 4608 x 3072, 4608 x 2592, 2048 x 1536, 1920 x 1080 with 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Pentax XG-1 has an image stabilization.

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 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Sony Alpha 6100 has a Micro HDMI and Pentax XG-1 has a 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 XG-1 comes with LB-060 battery pack with battery life of 240 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sony Alpha 6100 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo Hybrid (UHS-I) card slot. Pentax XG-1 has a single SD/SDHC card slot.

Shutter

Sony Alpha 6100 has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Sony Alpha 6100, and up to 1/2000 sec on Pentax XG-1. Sony Alpha 6100 can shoot continuously up to 11.0 fps. Pentax XG-1 can shoot continuously up to 9.0 fps.

Focusing

Sony Alpha 6100 has Fast Hybrid AF (Phase-detection / Contrast-detection) system with 425 focusing points and Pentax XG-1 has . Sony Alpha 6100 has detection range from -2 to +20 EV.

Exposure

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

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 6.00 m at ISO 100 on Sony Alpha 6100 and 6.00 m on Pentax XG-1. Sony Alpha 6100 also accepts external flash which can be connected via Intelligent Hot Shoe or Wireless connection. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/160 sec on Sony Alpha 6100.

Sony Alpha 6100 body has dimensions of 120 x 67 x 59 mm (4.72 x 2.64 x 2.32") and Pentax XG-1 body has dimensions of 119 x 89 x 98 mm (4.69 x 3.5 x 3.86"). Sony Alpha 6100 weighs 396 g (0.87 lb / 13.97 oz) and Pentax XG-1 weighs 567 g (1.25 lb / 20.00 oz).

Sony Alpha 6100

Pentax XG-1

120 mm

67 mm

119 mm

89 mm

67 mm

89 mm

59 mm

98 mm