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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Introduced May 2010
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL1s
Pentax WG-2 GPS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 198g - 122 x 61 x 30mm
  • Revealed February 2012
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax WG-2 GPS, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Waterproof by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and WG-2 GPS (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and WG-2 GPS (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL1 was launched 21 months prior to the WG-2 GPS which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax WG-2 GPS being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-PL1 matches up versus the WG-2 GPS in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Pentax WG-2 GPS

 E-PL1 WG-2 GPS 

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-2 GPS over the Olympus E-PL1

 WG-2 GPS E-PL1 
RevealedFebruary 2012May 2010More recent by 21 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax WG-2 GPS

 E-PL1 WG-2 GPS 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither offers Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Physical Comparison

If you're intending to lug around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1 offers exterior dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Pentax WG-2 GPS has dimensions of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") along with a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax WG-2 GPS in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have at the time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1 and the WG-2 GPS.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and WG-2 GPS is 86 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements just by checking out specs. The visual underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and WG-2 GPS.

All in all, both of those cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Pentax WG-2 GPS will show more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Portrait photography features
Pentax WG-2 GPS Portrait photography features
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
delivers RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
40
manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
provides face detect focus
manual mode not available
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Street photography info
Pentax WG-2 GPS Street photography info
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no moving screen
54
weather proofing
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL1
Sports photography with Pentax WG-2 GPS
44
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery life (290 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
38
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
weather proofing
slow frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography advice
Pentax WG-2 GPS Travel photography advice
51
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
not so great battery life (290 CIPA)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
70
weather proofing
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (28mm)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL1
Landscape photography with Pentax WG-2 GPS
55
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
small screen (2.7")
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
not so great battery life (290 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse mode
47
manual focus
rather wide (28mm)
decent sized screen (3")
decent megapixels (16MP)
weather proofing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not available
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging factors
Pentax WG-2 GPS Vlogging factors
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
screen isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external microphone jack
30
rather wide (28mm)
provides face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
no mic socket
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax WG-2 GPS
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1 Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Introduced 2010-05-17 2012-02-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V -
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 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 5.40 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 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)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334 gr (0.74 pounds) 198 gr (0.44 pounds)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 122 x 61 x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 54 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 487 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 pictures 260 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Price at release $288 $300