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Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-2

Portability
85
Imaging
47
Features
47
Overall
47
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-2 front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-2 Key Specs

Panasonic GF1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 119 x 71 x 36mm
  • Launched October 2009
  • Updated by Panasonic GF2
Pentax WG-2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 192g - 122 x 61 x 30mm
  • Launched February 2012
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Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-2 Overview

On this page, we will be reviewing the Panasonic GF1 versus Pentax WG-2, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Waterproof by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There is a sizeable difference between the image resolutions of the GF1 (12MP) and WG-2 (16MP) and the GF1 (Four Thirds) and WG-2 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The GF1 was manufactured 3 years prior to the WG-2 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GF1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax WG-2 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a detailed comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the GF1 matches up vs the WG-2 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF1 over the Pentax WG-2

 GF1 WG-2 

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-2 over the Panasonic GF1

 WG-2 GF1 
LaunchedFebruary 2012October 2009Fresher by 28 months

Common features in the Panasonic GF1 and Pentax WG-2

 GF1 WG-2 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Screen resolution460k460kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-2 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GF1 has got outside measurements of 119mm x 71mm x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") along with a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) and the Pentax WG-2 has proportions of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") with a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic GF1 versus Pentax WG-2 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 dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the GF1 against the WG-2.

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-2 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the GF1 and WG-2 is 85 and 91 respectively.

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-2 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-2 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing only by going over technical specs. The graphic here will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the GF1 and WG-2.

As you can tell, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The GF1 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Pentax WG-2 will offer extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs more aggressively. The older GF1 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-2 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic GF1
Portrait photography with Pentax WG-2
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
40
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
supports face detection focus
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GF1 as a Street photography camera
Pentax WG-2 as a Street photography camera
64
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
54
weather proof
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Sports photography features
Pentax WG-2 Sports photography features
44
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
good battery life (380 CIPA)
low frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
lack of phase detect autofocus
38
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
low frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Travel photography details
Pentax WG-2 Travel photography details
59
good battery life (380 CIPA)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
low MP (12MP)
does not posses selfie friendly display
70
weather proof
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Landscape photography info
Pentax WG-2 Landscape photography info
60
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (380 per charge)
no image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
lack of Timelapse recording
47
you can focus manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
weather proof
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not possible
lack of image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Vlogging factors
Pentax WG-2 Vlogging factors
25
offers face detect autofocus
does not posses selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone socket
30
reasonably wide (28mm)
supports face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
lack of external microphone socket
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Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax WG-2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF1 and Pentax WG-2
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1Pentax Optio WG-2
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Pentax Optio WG-2
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Launched 2009-10-14 2012-02-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine HD -
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
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 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.00 m 5.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD Lite MPEG-4, H.264
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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 385g (0.85 lbs) 192g (0.42 lbs)
Physical dimensions 119 x 71 x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") 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 21.2 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 513 not tested
Other
Battery life 380 photographs 260 photographs
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 shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/MMC SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at release $400 $350