Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WG-2

On this page, we are matching up the Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WG-2, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Waterproof by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and WG-2 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and WG-2 (1/2.3") offer different sensor size.

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The E-PL3 was announced 4 months earlier than the WG-2 so they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax WG-2 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-PL3 matches up against the WG-2 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Pentax Optio WG-2. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Pentax WG-2 Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 provides outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Pentax WG-2 has sizing of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") along with a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WG-2 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at that moment. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the WG-2.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and WG-2 is 88 and 91 respectively.

More often than not, its hard to imagine the gap in sensor measurements simply by checking out a spec sheet. The photograph here will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and WG-2.

As you can see, both cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Pentax WG-2 will show more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a bit more aggressively.