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Olympus E-1 vs Pentax WG-2

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-2 front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax WG-2 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(Full Review)
  • 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
  • Revealed November 2003
  • Updated by Olympus E-3
Pentax WG-2
(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
  • Announced February 2012
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Olympus E-1 vs Pentax WG-2 Overview

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-1 and Pentax WG-2, former is a Pro DSLR while the other is a Waterproof by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and WG-2 (16MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and WG-2 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-1 was announced 9 years prior to the WG-2 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Pentax WG-2 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-1 scores against the WG-2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Pentax WG-2

 E-1 WG-2 

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-2 over the Olympus E-1

 WG-2 E-1 
AnnouncedFebruary 2012November 2003More modern by 99 months
Display dimensions3"1.8"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution460k134kCrisper display (+326k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Pentax WG-2

 E-1 WG-2 
Manual focus More exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax WG-2 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-1 enjoys outer dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Pentax WG-2 has proportions of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-1 and Pentax WG-2 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at the time. Following is a front view size comparison of the E-1 and the WG-2.

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax WG-2 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-1 and WG-2 is 59 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax WG-2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax WG-2 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizes only by reading a spec sheet. The image below may give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and WG-2.

As you can see, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-1 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Pentax WG-2 will offer more detail with its extra 11 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The more aged E-1 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax WG-2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax WG-2 as a Portrait photography camera
46
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
does not have liveview
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
40
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has face detect focusing
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 Street photography highlights
Pentax WG-2 Street photography highlights
57
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
lighter than average (735 grams)
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
54
weather sealing
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax WG-2 as a Sports photography camera
40
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather proof
has phase detect AF
does not have liveview
max fps low (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
38
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has tracking focus
weather sealing
max fps very slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax WG-2 as a Travel photography camera
47
lighter than average (735g)
weather proof
does not have Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (5MP)
display is not selfie friendly
70
weather sealing
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
decently wide (28mm)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 Landscape photography factors
Pentax WG-2 Landscape photography factors
46
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
screen is somewhat small (1.8")
does not have liveview
no image stabilization
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse mode
47
manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
good sized screen (3")
resolution is good (16MP)
weather sealing
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 Vlogging info
Pentax WG-2 Vlogging info
9
can't record video
30
decently wide (28mm)
has face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
lack of microphone jack
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Olympus E-1 vs Pentax WG-2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Pentax WG-2
 Olympus E-1Pentax Optio WG-2
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-1 Pentax Optio WG-2
Category Pro DSLR Waterproof
Revealed 2003-11-29 2012-02-07
Body design Large SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 5 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 2560 x 1920 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus range - 1cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 1.8" 3"
Resolution of display 134k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech - Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.40 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 735g (1.62 lb) 192g (0.42 lb)
Physical dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 122 x 61 x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 260 images
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $1,700 $350