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Olympus E-30 vs Pentax WG-2

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-2 front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax WG-2 Key Specs

Olympus E-30
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
  • Released March 2009
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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Olympus E-30 vs Pentax WG-2 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-30 and Pentax WG-2, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Waterproof by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and WG-2 (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and WG-2 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-30 was revealed 3 years prior to the WG-2 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax WG-2 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-30 matches up against the WG-2 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Pentax WG-2

 E-30 WG-2 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-2 over the Olympus E-30

 WG-2 E-30 
IntroducedFebruary 2012March 2009More modern by 35 months
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Pentax WG-2

 E-30 WG-2 
Focus manually More precise focus
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax WG-2 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-30 offers outside measurements of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) while the Pentax WG-2 has proportions of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") with a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-30 and Pentax WG-2 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Below is a front view scale comparison of the E-30 compared to the WG-2.

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax WG-2 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and WG-2 is 60 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax WG-2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax WG-2 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to see the gap between sensor sizes just by checking technical specs. The picture here might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-30 and WG-2.

As you have seen, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-30 with its bigger sensor will make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Pentax WG-2 will give extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged E-30 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax WG-2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 Portrait photography information
Pentax WG-2 Portrait photography information
59
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
40
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
comes with face detection focusing
no manual exposure
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 Street photography information
Pentax WG-2 Street photography information
72
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
54
environment sealing
no moving screen
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography highlights
Pentax WG-2 Sports photography highlights
51
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
max fps very slow (5.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
low battery life (750 shots)
38
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax WG-2 as a Travel photography camera
49
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
missing Timelapse recording
low battery life (750 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
70
environment sealing
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax WG-2 as a Landscape photography camera
52
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
low battery life (750 CIPA)
missing Timelapse recording
47
you can focus manually
rather wide (28mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 Vlogging highlights
Pentax WG-2 Vlogging highlights
18
lack of video recording
30
rather wide (28mm)
comes with face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
does not have external mic port
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Olympus E-30 vs Pentax WG-2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Pentax WG-2
 Olympus E-30Pentax Optio WG-2
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-30 Pentax Optio WG-2
Category Advanced DSLR Waterproof
Released 2009-03-24 2012-02-07
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III+ -
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7" 3"
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology HyperCrystal II LCD Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m 5.40 m
Flash modes Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds -
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)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 695g (1.53 lb) 192g (0.42 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 122 x 61 x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.3 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 530 not tested
Other
Battery life 750 photos 260 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-1 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $1,299 $350