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Canon G15 vs Pentax WG-2

Portability
86
Imaging
36
Features
58
Overall
44
Canon PowerShot G15 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-2 front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Canon G15 vs Pentax WG-2 Key Specs

Canon G15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 352g - 107 x 76 x 40mm
  • Revealed September 2012
  • Replaced the Canon G12
  • New Model is Canon G16
Pentax WG-2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 192g - 122 x 61 x 30mm
  • Introduced February 2012
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Canon G15 vs Pentax WG-2 Overview

Lets look closer at the Canon G15 versus Pentax WG-2, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Waterproof by rivals Canon and Pentax. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the G15 (12MP) and WG-2 (16MP) and the G15 (1/1.7") and WG-2 (1/2.3") boast different sensor dimensions.

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The G15 was revealed 8 months later than the WG-2 so they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before getting right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the G15 scores against the WG-2 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon G15 over the Pentax WG-2

 G15 WG-2 
IntroducedSeptember 2012February 2012Fresher by 8 months
Screen resolution922k460kClearer screen (+462k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-2 over the Canon G15

 WG-2 G15 

Common features in the Canon G15 and Pentax WG-2

 G15 WG-2 
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Canon G15 vs Pentax WG-2 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Canon G15 has external dimensions of 107mm x 76mm x 40mm (4.2" x 3.0" x 1.6") along with a weight of 352 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Pentax WG-2 has sizing of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") and a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).

Check out the Canon G15 versus Pentax WG-2 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is a front view size comparison of the G15 vs the WG-2.

Canon G15 vs Pentax WG-2 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the G15 and WG-2 is 86 and 91 respectively.

Canon G15 vs Pentax WG-2 top view buttons comparison

Canon G15 vs Pentax WG-2 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizing only by reviewing technical specs. The visual here should give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the G15 and WG-2.

As you can tell, both cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The G15 using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Pentax WG-2 will offer you greater detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots way more aggressively. The fresher G15 should have an advantage in sensor technology.

Canon G15 vs Pentax WG-2 sensor size comparison

Canon G15 vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon G15 vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon G15 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax WG-2 Portrait photography highlights
48
has manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
has face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is small (1/1.7")
40
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
provides face detect focusing
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon G15 Street photography advice
Pentax WG-2 Street photography advice
58
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
screen is fixed
sensor is small (1/1.7")
more heavy than competition (352 grams)
54
environment sealing
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon G15 Sports photography information
Pentax WG-2 Sports photography information
39
has image stabilization (Optical)
has tracking focus
good battery pack (350 per charge)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/1.7")
does not have phase detect AF
38
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
provides tracking focus
environment sealing
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Canon G15 Travel photography factors
Pentax WG-2 Travel photography factors
61
good battery pack (350 CIPA)
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
missing Timelapse function
more heavy than competition (352g)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
70
environment sealing
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
does not have selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon G15 Landscape photography advice
Pentax WG-2 Landscape photography advice
54
has manual focus
quite wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
good battery pack (350 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/1.7")
missing Timelapse function
47
manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon G15 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax WG-2 as a Vlogging camera
33
quite wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
missing microphone support
more heavy than competition (352g)
30
reasonably wide (28mm)
provides face detect focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not have selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
missing mic jack
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Canon G15 vs Pentax WG-2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon G15 and Pentax WG-2
 Canon PowerShot G15Pentax Optio WG-2
General Information
Brand Name Canon Pentax
Model Canon PowerShot G15 Pentax Optio WG-2
Category Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Revealed 2012-09-17 2012-02-07
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Digic 5 -
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4000 x 3000 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 125
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-140mm (5.0x) 28-140mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture f/1.8-2.8 f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus distance 1cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 4.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 922 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology TFT PureColor II G LCD Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (tunnel) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 2.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.00 m 5.40 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Second Curtain Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/2000 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (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 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 352 gr (0.78 lb) 192 gr (0.42 lb)
Physical dimensions 107 x 76 x 40mm (4.2" x 3.0" x 1.6") 122 x 61 x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 46 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 19.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.5 not tested
DXO Low light score 165 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 pictures 260 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NB-10L D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Price at release $499 $350