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Panasonic GH4 vs Pentax WG-1

Portability
66
Imaging
53
Features
88
Overall
67
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Panasonic GH4 vs Pentax WG-1 Key Specs

Panasonic GH4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 560g - 133 x 93 x 84mm
  • Launched February 2014
  • Replaced the Panasonic GH3
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GH5
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
  • Announced February 2011
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Panasonic GH4 vs Pentax WG-1 Overview

Following is a extensive review of the Panasonic GH4 and Pentax WG-1, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Waterproof by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the GH4 (16MP) and the WG-1 (14MP) is pretty similar but the GH4 (Four Thirds) and WG-1 (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

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The GH4 was launched 3 years after the WG-1 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GH4 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax WG-1 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a complete comparison, below is a concise summary of how the GH4 scores vs the WG-1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH4 over the Pentax WG-1

 GH4 WG-1 
AnnouncedFebruary 2014February 2011More modern by 37 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1036k230kSharper screen (+806k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-1 over the Panasonic GH4

 WG-1 GH4 

Common features in the Panasonic GH4 and Pentax WG-1

 GH4 WG-1 
Manual focus Very exact focusing

Panasonic GH4 vs Pentax WG-1 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic GH4 comes with exterior measurements of 133mm x 93mm x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3") having a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs) and the Pentax WG-1 has measurements of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Check the Panasonic GH4 and Pentax WG-1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at the time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the GH4 against the WG-1.

Panasonic GH4 vs Pentax WG-1 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the GH4 and WG-1 is 66 and 93 respectively.

Panasonic GH4 vs Pentax WG-1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH4 vs Pentax WG-1 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's tough to imagine the gap between sensor sizes simply by reviewing specs. The image here will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the GH4 and WG-1.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The GH4 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh easier and the Panasonic GH4 will deliver greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The newer GH4 should have an advantage in sensor tech.

Panasonic GH4 vs Pentax WG-1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH4 vs Pentax WG-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH4 vs Pentax WG-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH4 Portrait photography info
Pentax WG-1 Portrait photography info
71
manual focus
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
35
focusing manually
good megapixels (14MP)
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH4 Street photography highlights
Pentax WG-1 Street photography highlights
71
screen articulates fully
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
offers touch to focus
environment sealing
lighter than competition (560g)
above average ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
54
weather proof
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH4 Sports photography highlights
Pentax WG-1 Sports photography highlights
62
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
37
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
weather proof
low frames per second (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH4 Travel photography details
Pentax WG-1 Travel photography details
77
lighter than competition (560g)
environment sealing
offers touch to focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
71
weather proof
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH4 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax WG-1 Landscape photography highlights
72
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3")
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
lack of image stabilization
42
focusing manually
fairly wide (28mm)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
weather proof
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
no manual exposure
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH4 Vlogging factors
Pentax WG-1 Vlogging factors
71
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
comes with face detection autofocus
high res video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
includes external microphone socket
lighter than competition (560g)
lack of image stabilization
25
fairly wide (28mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic support
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Panasonic GH4 vs Pentax WG-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH4 and Pentax WG-1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4Pentax Optio WG-1
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 Pentax Optio WG-1
Category Pro Mirrorless Waterproof
Launched 2014-02-07 2011-02-07
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine IX -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 49 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 1,036k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology OLED TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,359k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.67x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1500 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 12.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 17.00 m (at ISO 200) 3.90 m
Flash settings Auto, auto/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync/redeye reduction, forced off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 4096 x 2160 (24p), 3840 x 2160 (24p, 25p, 30p), 1920 x 1080 (24p, 25p, 30p, 50p, 60p), 1280 x 720 (24p, 25p, 30p), 640 x 480 (25p, 30p) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 560g (1.23 lbs) 157g (0.35 lbs)
Dimensions 133 x 93 x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 74 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.2 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.8 not tested
DXO Low light rating 791 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 images 260 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID DMW-BLF19 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs (single or three-shot)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $1,500 $350