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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax WG-3

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus SZ-16 iHS front
 
Pentax WG-3 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
44
Overall
41

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax WG-3 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-16 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Introduced January 2013
Pentax WG-3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 124 x 64 x 33mm
  • Introduced July 2013
Photography Glossary

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax WG-3 Overview

In this article, we will be reviewing the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax WG-3, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Waterproof by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and the WG-3 (16MP) is relatively close and they come with the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SZ-16 iHS was released 6 months prior to the WG-3 so they are both of a similar age. The two cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the SZ-16 iHS matches up against the WG-3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-16 iHS over the Pentax WG-3

 SZ-16 iHS WG-3 

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 over the Olympus SZ-16 iHS

 WG-3 SZ-16 iHS 
Manual focus More exact focusing

Common features in the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax WG-3

 SZ-16 iHS WG-3 
IntroducedJanuary 2013July 2013Same age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Screen resolution460k460kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax WG-3 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS has got outside dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax WG-3 has measurements of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax WG-3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the SZ-16 iHS compared to the WG-3.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax WG-3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-16 iHS and WG-3 is 89 and 90 respectively.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax WG-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax WG-3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements just by viewing a spec sheet. The graphic below will give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-16 iHS and WG-3.

As you can see, both of the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing and the identical resolution so you can expect comparable quality of pictures though you need to factor the launch date of the cameras into account.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax WG-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax WG-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax WG-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax WG-3 as a Portrait photography camera
34
decent MP (16MP)
offers face detect focus
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
40
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
supports face detection autofocus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Street photography highlights
Pentax WG-3 Street photography highlights
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-16 iHS
Sports photography with Pentax WG-3
41
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
offers tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (220 shots)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
44
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (240 per charge)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Travel photography highlights
Pentax WG-3 Travel photography highlights
65
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
decent MP (16MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
bad battery pack (220 shots)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
72
weather proof
good megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
terrible battery life (240 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Landscape photography highlights
Pentax WG-3 Landscape photography highlights
41
pretty wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
no manual exposure
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
bad battery pack (220 shots)
lack of Timelapse mode
53
you can focus manually
fairly wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
weather proof
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
manual mode not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
terrible battery life (240 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Vlogging highlights
Pentax WG-3 Vlogging highlights
31
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focus
lighter than competition in class (226g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of microphone jack
36
fairly wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing external mic socket
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax WG-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax WG-3
 Olympus SZ-16 iHSPentax WG-3
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus SZ-16 iHS Pentax WG-3
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Waterproof
Introduced 2013-01-08 2013-07-19
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 80 125
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-100mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.0-4.9
Macro focus range - 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology TFT Color LCD Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 3.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 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 None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226g (0.50 lbs) 230g (0.51 lbs)
Dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3")
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 220 photos 240 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $230 $300