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Sony A7S vs Pentax Q7 Comparison

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Sony A7S

12 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A7S
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Pentax Q7

12 MP | 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Pentax Q7
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Sony A7S vs Pentax Q7 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Mirrorless cameras from Sony and Pentax. Sony A7S was introduced to market in April 2014 and Pentax Q7 was launched in August 2013. There is only 8 months difference between A7S and Q7 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Both cameras have 12.0MP sensors but Sony A7S's sensor is Full frame sized whereas Pentax Q7 has a 1/1.7" sensor.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Pentax Q7 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7S Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-06
  • 12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • Sony E Mount
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • 120 fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 489g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Pentax Q7 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2013-08-08
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 200g. 102 x 58 x 34 mm
  • Replaced Pentax Q10 Compare

Sony A7S was replaced by Sony Alpha 7S II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha A7S
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Pentax Q7

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Pentax Q7 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Pentax Q7
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected Better connectivity
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder
Electronic vs Optical (Optional) Better framing and control
Max ISO
409.600 vs 12.800 3100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution
1.230k dots vs 460k dots 167% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life
360 shots vs 250 shots 110 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Sensor Pixel Area
71.24µm2 vs 3.46µm2 1958% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone


Reasons to choose Pentax Q7 over Sony Alpha A7S
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Weight
200 g vs 489 g 289 g lighter
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs With optional app creative shooting

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Pentax Q7
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Pentax Q7
Sony A7S vs Pentax Q7: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Sony A7S and Pentax Q7 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Pentax Q7 has external dimensions of 102 x 58 x 34 mm (4.02 x 2.28 x 1.34″) and weighs 200 g (0.44 lb / 7.05 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Pentax Q7. Pentax Q7 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 25mm narrower, 36mm shorter and 14mm thinner than Sony A7S.

Sony A7S vs Pentax Q7 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Pentax Q7 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Pentax Q7.

Sony A7S vs Pentax Q7 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Pentax Q7 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Pentax Q7.
Sony A7S vs Pentax Q7 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Pentax Q7 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Pentax Q7 is significantly lighter (289g ) than the Sony A7S which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A7S has a Full frame sensor and Pentax Q7 has a smaller 1/1.7" sensor, Pentax Q7's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S
Q7
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S
Q7
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over Q7 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Pentax Q7's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

On the other hand, Sony A7S features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Pentax Q7 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
Sony A7S vs Pentax Q7: Sensor Comparison

Both Sony A7S and Pentax Q7 have 12.0 MP resolution sensors but Sony A7S's sensor is Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) and Pentax Q7's sensor is 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm ).

Since Sony A7S's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Pentax Q7.

Below you can see the A7S and Q7 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7S vs Pentax Q7 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Pentax Q7 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7S has a 20.6x Larger sensor area than Pentax Q7. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Sony A7S vs Pentax Q7 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Sony A7S has an advantage over Pentax Q7. There are 128 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 8 lenses for Pentax Q7's Pentax Q lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Pentax Q7 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Sony A7S doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 31 lenses for Sony E mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Sony A7S Lenses # of Pentax Q7 Lenses
Standard Zoom 12 (9 Full Frame) 1
Standard Prime 18 (9 Full Frame) 2
Wideangle Zoom 7 (6 Full Frame) 1
Wideangle Prime 42 (26 Full Frame) 1
Telephoto Zoom 9 (7 Full Frame) 1
Telephoto Prime 18 (14 Full Frame) 1
SuperZoom 8 (1 Full Frame) n/a
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) 1
Macro Prime 8 (7 Full Frame) n/a
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a n/a
TOTAL 128 (81 Full Frame) 8

What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Pentax Q7 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Pentax Q7 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Sony A7S for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Pentax Q7 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Pentax Q7 for Street Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Pentax Q7 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
Environmental Sealings
Unknown Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 250 shots
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Pentax Q7 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details
200g
Medium size Body
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax Q7 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Pentax Q7: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Sony A7S and Pentax Q7, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Sony A7S and Pentax Q7 scores compare:

Sony A7S
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #71 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Pentax Q7
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #83 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #370 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7S is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Pentax Q7 in all criteria except one: Portability. Pentax Q7 is significantly smaller than Sony A7S. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Pentax Q7. Otherwise, Sony A7S is the better camera overall.

Sony A7S
Sony A7S
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Pentax Q7
Pentax Q7
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Pentax Q7 vs Sony A7S Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7S Pentax Q7
Brand Sony Pentax
Announced 2014-04-06 2013-08-08
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Size Full frame 1/1.7"
Dimensions 35.8 x 23.9 mm 7.44 x 5.58 mm
Area 855.62mm2 41.52mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 4240 x 2832 4000 x 3000
Max Native Light sensitivity 409,600 ISO 12,800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 25 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E Pentax Q
Number of Available Lenses 128 8
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3 3"
Resolution 1,230k dots 460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (optional)
Viewfinder Resolution 2,359k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.71x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 4.90 m (ISO100/m)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/2000s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 489g 200g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm 102 x 58 x 34mm
Battery Life 360 shots 250 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 87 not tested
DxO Color Depth 23.9 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 13.2 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 3702 not tested
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