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Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS

Portability
90
Imaging
48
Features
48
Overall
48
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-1 GPS front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Key Specs

Panasonic GF3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 264g - 108 x 67 x 32mm
  • Released August 2011
  • Older Model is Panasonic GF2
  • Renewed by Panasonic GF5
Pentax WG-1 GPS
(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
  • 167g - 116 x 59 x 29mm
  • Released August 2011
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Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Overview

In this article, we will be analyzing the Panasonic GF3 versus Pentax WG-1 GPS, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Waterproof by companies Panasonic and Pentax. The image resolution of the GF3 (12MP) and the WG-1 GPS (14MP) is pretty comparable but the GF3 (Four Thirds) and WG-1 GPS (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizing.

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The GF3 was revealed within a month of the WG-1 GPS so they are both of a similar age. The two cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic GF3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax WG-1 GPS being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the GF3 matches up versus the WG-1 GPS in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF3 over the Pentax WG-1 GPS

 GF3 WG-1 GPS 
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-1 GPS over the Panasonic GF3

 WG-1 GPS GF3 

Common features in the Panasonic GF3 and Pentax WG-1 GPS

 GF3 WG-1 GPS 
ReleasedAugust 2011August 2011Same age
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GF3 features physical dimensions of 108mm x 67mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 264 grams (0.58 lbs) while the Pentax WG-1 GPS has dimensions of 116mm x 59mm x 29mm (4.6" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Panasonic GF3 versus Pentax WG-1 GPS in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the GF3 compared to the WG-1 GPS.

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the GF3 and WG-1 GPS is 90 and 93 respectively.

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's hard to imagine the gap in sensor measurements purely by going through technical specs. The visual below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the GF3 and WG-1 GPS.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The GF3 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Pentax WG-1 GPS will provide extra detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs far more aggressively.

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GF3 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax WG-1 GPS as a Portrait photography camera
55
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
saves RAW files
external flash not possible
low MP (12MP)
35
focusing manually
good resolution (14MP)
no manual control
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Panasonic GF3 as a Street photography camera
Pentax WG-1 GPS as a Street photography camera
70
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
offers touch focus
fixed screen
no image stabilization
54
weather proof
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GF3 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax WG-1 GPS as a Sports photography camera
38
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (300 shots)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
37
good resolution (14 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
weather proof
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GF3 Travel photography info
Pentax WG-1 GPS Travel photography info
58
offers touch focus
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
not so great battery (300 shots)
low MP (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
71
weather proof
good resolution (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
does not offer selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GF3 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax WG-1 GPS as a Landscape photography camera
55
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
not so great battery (300 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse function
42
focusing manually
fairly wide (28mm)
good resolution (14MP)
weather proof
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
no manual control
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF3 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax WG-1 GPS as a Vlogging camera
32
has touchscreen
offers face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
does not have external mic port
25
fairly wide (28mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not offer selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have microphone socket
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Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF3 and Pentax WG-1 GPS
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3Pentax Optio WG-1 GPS
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 Pentax Optio WG-1 GPS
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Released 2011-08-11 2011-08-16
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine FHD -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 160 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
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 range - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1500 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.30 m 3.90 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 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)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG 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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 264g (0.58 lbs) 167g (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions 108 x 67 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") 116 x 59 x 29mm (4.6" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 50 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 459 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 shots 260 shots
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/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Price at release $360 $350