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 X-5 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 X-5 has external dimensions of 119 x 86 x 107 mm (4.69 x 3.39 x 4.21″) and weighs 595 g (1.31 lb / 20.99 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Pentax X-5. Pentax X-5 is 8mm narrower and 8mm shorter than Sony A7S but it is also 59mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Pentax X-5 has a built-in lens but Sony A7S doesn't. Once you put a lens on A7S, its thickness will increase significantly.
![Sony A7S vs Pentax X-5 Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Pentax X-5 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Pentax X-5.
![Sony A7S vs Pentax X-5 Camera Size Comparison - Top View]()
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Pentax X-5 Size
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Sony A7S is significantly lighter (106g ) than the Pentax X-5 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on A7S, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over X-5 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Sony A7S and Pentax X-5's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.
Both cameras feature
Tilting screens where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels.
Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Pentax X-5 has a 16.0MP 1/2.3" (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the A7S and X-5 sensor size comparison.
![Sony A7S vs Pentax X-5 Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Pentax X-5 Cameras
As seen above, Sony A7S has a 30.9x Larger sensor area than Pentax X-5. 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.
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Pentax X-5 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
Pentax X-5 for Portrait Photography
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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Read the details
Sony A7S for Street Photography
Pentax X-5 for Street Photography
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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
22 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Sony A7S for Sports Photography
Pentax X-5 for Sports Photography
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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
580 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1500s
9 Focus Points
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.90
Read the details
Sony A7S for Daily Photography
Pentax X-5 for Daily Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details
26.4X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
595g
Body Thickness 107mm
Read the details
Sony A7S for Landscape Photography
Pentax X-5 for Landscape Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
22 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
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 X-5, 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 X-5 scores compare:
Sony A7S
Ranked
#38 out of 85 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#70 out of 1218 in all Cameras
Pentax X-5
Ranked
#45 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked
#523 out of 1218 in all Cameras
Sony A7S is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Pentax X-5 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money
| General |
Sony Alpha A7S |
Pentax X-5 |
| Brand |
Sony |
Pentax |
| Announced |
2014-04-06 |
2012-08-22 |
| Body Type |
SLR-style mirrorless |
SLR-like (bridge) |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CMOS |
BSI-CMOS |
| Size |
Full frame |
1/2.3" |
| Dimensions |
35.8 x 23.9 mm |
6.08 x 4.56 mm |
| Area |
855.62mm2 |
27.72mm2 |
| Megapixels |
12 megapixels |
16 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4240 x 2832 |
4608 x 3456 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
409,600 ISO |
6,400 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 |
9 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
Sony E |
fixed lens |
| Lens Focal Range |
no lens |
22-580 mm (26×) |
| Max Aperture |
no lens |
F3.1-5.9 |
| Macro Focus Range |
no lens |
1cm |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Tilting |
Tilting |
| Size |
3 |
3" |
| Resolution |
1,230k dots |
460k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Electronic |
| Viewfinder Resolution |
2,359k dots |
230k dots |
| Viewfinder Coverage |
100% |
n/a |
| Viewfinder Magnification |
0.71x |
n/a |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/8000s |
1/1500s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
No |
Sensor-shift |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
no built-in flash |
9.10 m |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
5.0 fps |
10.0 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 |
Motion JPEG |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Built-In |
Eye-Fi Connected |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
489g |
595g |
| Dimensions |
127 x 94 x 48mm |
119 x 86 x 107mm |
| Battery Life |
360 shots |
330 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 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |