Canon A490 vs Pentax WG-2
93 Imaging
33 Features
10 Overall
23


91 Imaging
39 Features
37 Overall
38
Canon A490 vs Pentax WG-2 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 1600
- 640 x 480 video
- 37-122mm (F3.0-5.8) lens
- 175g - 94 x 62 x 31mm
- Introduced January 2010
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 125 - 6400
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
- 192g - 122 x 61 x 30mm
- Revealed February 2012

Canon A490 vs Pentax WG-2 Overview
Here, we are reviewing the Canon A490 and Pentax WG-2, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Waterproof by manufacturers Canon and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the A490 (10MP) and WG-2 (16MP) but both cameras offer the identical sensor size (1/2.3").

The A490 was announced 3 years earlier than the WG-2 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).
Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the A490 matches up versus the WG-2 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Canon A490 vs Pentax WG-2 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Canon PowerShot A490 & Pentax Optio WG-2. The whole galleries are provided at Canon A490 Gallery & Pentax WG-2 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon A490 over the Pentax WG-2
A490 | WG-2 |
---|
Reasons to pick Pentax WG-2 over the Canon A490
WG-2 | A490 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | February 2012 | ![]() | January 2010 | Fresher by 25 months |
Manually focus | ![]() | Very exact focus | ||
Display size | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 115k | Clearer display (+345k dot) |
Common features in the Canon A490 and Pentax WG-2
A490 | WG-2 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither has selfie screen | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Neither has Touch display |
Canon A490 vs Pentax WG-2 Physical Comparison
If you are aiming to carry your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and proportions. The Canon A490 has outside dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") and a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs) whilst the Pentax WG-2 has measurements of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") along with a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).
See the Canon A490 and Pentax WG-2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the A490 vs the WG-2.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A490 and WG-2 is 93 and 91 respectively.

Canon A490 vs Pentax WG-2 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it is difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizing just by seeing specifications. The graphic here will provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the A490 and WG-2.
To sum up, both cameras come with the identical sensor size but not the same megapixels. You can expect to see the Pentax WG-2 to provide more detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older A490 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Canon A490 vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon A490 vs Pentax WG-2 Specifications
Canon PowerShot A490 | Pentax Optio WG-2 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Canon | Pentax |
Model type | Canon PowerShot A490 | Pentax Optio WG-2 |
Type | Small Sensor Compact | Waterproof |
Introduced | 2010-01-05 | 2012-02-07 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Sensor type | CCD | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4288 x 3216 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 80 | 125 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 5 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 37-122mm (3.3x) | 28-140mm (5.0x) |
Max aperture | f/3.0-5.8 | f/3.5-5.5 |
Macro focusing distance | 1cm | 1cm |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 2.5 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of screen | 115k dots | 460k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Screen tech | - | Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | None |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 15 seconds | 4 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/2000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shutter rate | 1.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 3.00 m | 5.40 m |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) |
Max video resolution | 640x480 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 175 gr (0.39 lbs) | 192 gr (0.42 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 94 x 62 x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") | 122 x 61 x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 260 images |
Battery style | - | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | 2 x AA | D-LI92 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom, Face) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus | SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Launch cost | $99 | $350 |