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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax WG-2

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Pentax Optio WG-2 front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax WG-2 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Introduced November 2010
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL1
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL2
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
  • Released February 2012
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax WG-2 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax WG-2, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Waterproof by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and WG-2 (16MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and WG-2 (1/2.3") have different sensor size.

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The E-PL1s was announced 14 months before the WG-2 making them a generation apart from one another. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax WG-2 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-PL1s grades versus the WG-2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Pentax WG-2

 E-PL1s WG-2 

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-2 over the Olympus E-PL1s

 WG-2 E-PL1s 
ReleasedFebruary 2012November 2010More recent by 14 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax WG-2

 E-PL1s WG-2 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch display Lack of Touch display

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax WG-2 Physical Comparison

If you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1s comes with outside dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Pentax WG-2 has dimensions of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax WG-2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1s against the WG-2.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax WG-2 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and WG-2 is 86 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax WG-2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax WG-2 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to picture the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading through specifications. The photograph here may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1s and WG-2.

To sum up, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Pentax WG-2 will give more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos more aggressively. The older E-PL1s is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax WG-2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax WG-2 as a Portrait photography camera
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
exports RAW files
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
40
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
includes face detect autofocus
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Street photography camera
Pentax WG-2 as a Street photography camera
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no moving screen
54
weather proofing
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Sports photography factors
Pentax WG-2 Sports photography factors
44
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (3.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (290 shots)
lacks phase detect auto focus
38
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
max fps low (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography advice
Pentax WG-2 Travel photography advice
51
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
bad battery power (290 shots)
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
70
weather proofing
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
does not have selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Landscape photography with Pentax WG-2
55
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.7 inches)
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery power (290 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
47
manual focus
really wide (28mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
weather proofing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not available
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging advice
Pentax WG-2 Vlogging advice
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focus
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic socket
30
really wide (28mm)
includes face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have mic jack
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax WG-2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax WG-2
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sPentax Optio WG-2
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL1s Pentax Optio WG-2
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Introduced 2010-11-16 2012-02-07
Body design 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 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing 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 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m 5.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
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 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 334 grams (0.74 lbs) 192 grams (0.42 lbs)
Physical 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 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 290 images 260 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $599 $350