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Sony A100 vs Pentax Efina Comparison

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Sony A100

10 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CCD Sensor

Sony A100
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Pentax Efina

14 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CCD Sensor

Pentax Efina
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Sony A100 vs Pentax Efina Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A100, which was introduced in July 2006 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 10.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Pentax Efina, which was introduced in June 2013 is a Ultracompact camera with a 14.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor. As you can see, A100 is 7 years older than Efina. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Fixed Lens camera is not an easy task but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A100 and Pentax Efina before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A100 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2006-07-31
  • 10MP - APS-C CCD Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 2.5" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 638g. 133 x 95 x 71 mm
  • Replaced Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D Compare

Pentax Efina Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2013-06-03
  • 14MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 26-130 mm F3.5-6.3 Zoom Lens
  • Digital only Image Stabilization
  • 2.5" Fixed Type Screen
  • Unknown continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 91g. 87 x 54 x 21 mm

Sony A100 was replaced by Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 vs Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 vs Pentax Efina

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A100 and Pentax Efina compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 over Pentax Efina
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Optical vs None Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max Mech. Shutter
1/4000s vs 1/1400s faster mechanical shutter
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Sensor Pixel Area
37.14µm2 vs 2.04µm2 1720% larger pixel area


Reasons to choose Pentax Efina over Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
14 MP vs 10 MP 39% more pixels
Weight
91 g vs 638 g 547 g lighter
Max Video Resolution
1280 x 720 vs None Higher Resolution Video

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 and Pentax Efina
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs Digital only Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 and Pentax Efina
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
LCD Screen Size
2.5" vs 2.5" Small display
LCD Screen Resolution
230k dots vs 230k dots Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing
No vs No Not good for multi-exposure HDR
Sony A100 vs Pentax Efina: 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 A100 and Pentax Efina side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A100 has external dimensions of 133 x 95 x 71 mm (5.24 x 3.74 x 2.8″) and weighs 638 g (1.41 lb / 22.50 oz) (including batteries). Pentax Efina has external dimensions of 87 x 54 x 21 mm (3.43 x 2.13 x 0.83″) and weighs 91 g (0.20 lb / 3.21 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A100 and Pentax Efina. Pentax Efina is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 46mm narrower, 41mm shorter and 50mm thinner than Sony A100. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Pentax Efina has a built-in lens but Sony A100 doesn't. Once you put a lens on A100, its thickness will increase significantly.

Sony A100 vs Pentax Efina Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A100 and Pentax Efina Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Pentax Efina is significantly lighter (547g ) than the Sony A100 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 A100, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 nor Pentax Efina provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A100 and Pentax Efina's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 2.5".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Sony A100 vs Pentax Efina: Sensor Comparison

Sony A100 has a 10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Pentax Efina has a 14.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Below you can see the A100 and Efina sensor size comparison.

Sony A100 vs Pentax Efina Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A100 and Pentax Efina Cameras


As seen above, Sony A100 has a 13.3x Larger sensor area than Pentax Efina. 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.

What types of Photography are Sony A100 and Pentax Efina Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A100 and Pentax Efina 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 A100 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax Efina for Portrait Photography

POOR
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Sony A100 for Street Photography

GOOD

Pentax Efina for Street Photography

POOR
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
26 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Sony A100 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Pentax Efina for Sports Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details
Image Stabilization
130 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1400s
Unknown Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 200 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.30
Read the details

Sony A100 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Pentax Efina for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
638g
Body Thickness 71mm
Read the details
Compact Body
91g
Body Thickness 21mm
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Sony A100 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Pentax Efina for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details
26 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A100 vs Pentax Efina: 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 A100 and Pentax Efina, 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 A100 and Pentax Efina scores compare:

Sony A100
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #61 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #495 out of 1226 in all Cameras
Pentax Efina
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #108 out of 155 in Ultracompact cameras
Ranked #1110 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Sony A100 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Pentax Efina in all criteria except one: Portability. Pentax Efina is significantly smaller than Sony A100. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Pentax Efina. Otherwise, Sony A100 is the better camera overall.

Sony A100
Sony A100
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Pentax Efina
Pentax Efina
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Pentax Efina vs Sony A100 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Pentax Efina
Brand Sony Pentax
Announced 2006-07-31 2013-06-03
Body Type Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor
Type CCD CCD
Size APS-C 1/2.3-inch
Dimensions 23.6 x 15.8 mm 6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area 372.88mm2 28.07mm2
Megapixels 10 megapixels 14 megapixels
Max Resolution 3872 x 2592 4288 x 3216
Max Native Light sensitivity 1,600 ISO 1,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 80 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 9 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens Focal Range no lens 26-130 mm (5×)
Max Aperture no lens F3.5-6.3
Macro Focus Range no lens 20cm
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 2.5" 2.5"
Resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder Coverage 95% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.55x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/1400s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Digital only
Built-in Flash
Flash Range n/a 4.10 m
Max Flash Sync 1/160s s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps n/a
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution None 1280 x 720
Video Formats n/a n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 638g 91g
Dimensions 133 x 95 x 71mm 87 x 54 x 21mm
Battery Life n/a 200 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 61 not tested
DxO Color Depth 22.0 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 11.2 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 476 not tested
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