Olympus E-510 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS

Below, we are looking at the Olympus E-510 versus Pentax WG-1 GPS, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Waterproof by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and WG-1 GPS (14MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and WG-1 GPS (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-510 was unveiled 4 years prior to the WG-1 GPS which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax WG-1 GPS being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-510 grades against the WG-1 GPS in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-510 and Pentax Optio WG-1 GPS. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Pentax WG-1 GPS Gallery.

If you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-510 provides exterior dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) and the Pentax WG-1 GPS has dimensions of 116mm x 59mm x 29mm (4.6" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Olympus E-510 versus Pentax WG-1 GPS in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-510 against the WG-1 GPS.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-510 and WG-1 GPS is 69 and 93 respectively.

Generally, it is tough to picture the difference in sensor sizes just by seeing a spec sheet. The picture below will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-510 and WG-1 GPS.

Clearly, both the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-510 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Pentax WG-1 GPS will provide greater detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-510 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.