Clicky

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1

Portability
85
Imaging
47
Features
47
Overall
47
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1 Key Specs

Panasonic GF1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 119 x 71 x 36mm
  • Announced October 2009
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GF2
Pentax WG-1
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Revealed February 2011
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1 Overview

In this write-up, we will be evaluating the Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Waterproof by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the GF1 (12MP) and the WG-1 (14MP) is relatively similar but the GF1 (Four Thirds) and WG-1 (1/2.3") possess different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The GF1 was unveiled 16 months before the WG-1 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic GF1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax WG-1 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a in depth comparison, below is a quick view of how the GF1 matches up versus the WG-1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF1 over the Pentax WG-1

 GF1 WG-1 
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-1 over the Panasonic GF1

 WG-1 GF1 
RevealedFebruary 2011October 2009Newer by 16 months

Common features in the Panasonic GF1 and Pentax WG-1

 GF1 WG-1 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch screen Neither features Touch screen

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic GF1 enjoys outside dimensions of 119mm x 71mm x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) and the Pentax WG-1 has sizing of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at that moment. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the GF1 vs the WG-1.

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GF1 and WG-1 is 85 and 93 respectively.

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be tough to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions only by going over technical specs. The picture here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the GF1 and WG-1.

As you can tell, the two cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The GF1 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Pentax WG-1 will offer greater detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The more aged GF1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic GF1
Portrait photography with Pentax WG-1
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
35
you can focus manually
good resolution (14MP)
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Street photography highlights
Pentax WG-1 Street photography highlights
64
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
54
environment sealing
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic GF1
Sports photography with Pentax WG-1
44
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
great battery (380 shots)
slow frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
no phase detect autofocus
37
good resolution (14MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Travel Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Travel photography details
Pentax WG-1 Travel photography details
59
great battery (380 per charge)
has built in flash
no Time Lapse mode
MP count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
71
environment sealing
good resolution (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic GF1
Landscape photography with Pentax WG-1
60
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
great battery (380 shots)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (12 megapixels)
no Time Lapse mode
42
you can focus manually
fairly wide (28mm)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
environment sealing
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
lack of image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Vlogging info
Pentax WG-1 Vlogging info
25
comes with face detection autofocus
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external mic socket
25
fairly wide (28mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone socket
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF1 and Pentax WG-1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1Pentax Optio WG-1
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Pentax Optio WG-1
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Announced 2009-10-14 2011-02-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine HD -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1500s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.00 m 3.90 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format AVCHD Lite Motion JPEG
Microphone 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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 385 grams (0.85 lbs) 157 grams (0.35 lbs)
Dimensions 119 x 71 x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 54 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.2 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 513 not tested
Other
Battery life 380 images 260 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/MMC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $400 $350