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Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS

Portability
96
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Key Specs

Panasonic S1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Introduced January 2011
Pentax WG-2 GPS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 198g - 122 x 61 x 30mm
  • Introduced February 2012
Photography Glossary

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Overview

On this page, we are contrasting the Panasonic S1 and Pentax WG-2 GPS, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Waterproof by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the S1 (12MP) and WG-2 GPS (16MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The S1 was launched 13 months earlier than the WG-2 GPS making them a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before diving into a detailed comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the S1 grades vs the WG-2 GPS in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic S1 over the Pentax WG-2 GPS

 S1 WG-2 GPS 

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-2 GPS over the Panasonic S1

 WG-2 GPS S1 
IntroducedFebruary 2012January 2011More modern by 13 months
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic S1 and Pentax WG-2 GPS

 S1 WG-2 GPS 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch display Neither provides Touch display

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry around your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic S1 provides outer dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Pentax WG-2 GPS has measurements of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic S1 and Pentax WG-2 GPS in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at that time. Below is a front view size comparison of the S1 against the WG-2 GPS.

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the S1 and WG-2 GPS is 96 and 91 respectively.

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to picture the gap in sensor sizes purely by seeing specifications. The picture here will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the S1 and WG-2 GPS.

Plainly, the two cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different resolution. You can expect to see the Pentax WG-2 GPS to show more detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged S1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS sensor size comparison

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic S1 Portrait photography factors
Pentax WG-2 GPS Portrait photography factors
21
no manual focus
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
40
focusing manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
provides face detection autofocus
no manual control
no external flash support
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic S1 Street photography advice
Pentax WG-2 GPS Street photography advice
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (117 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
54
environment sealing
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic S1 Sports photography features
Pentax WG-2 GPS Sports photography features
27
image stabilization (Optical)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
38
MP count decent (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
slow frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic S1 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax WG-2 GPS as a Travel photography camera
62
lighter than others (117g)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse mode
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
70
environment sealing
MP count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic S1 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax WG-2 GPS as a Landscape photography camera
32
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inch)
no manual exposure
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
missing Timelapse mode
47
focusing manually
pretty wide (28mm)
screen size is decent (3")
MP count decent (16MP)
environment sealing
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic S1 Vlogging factors
Pentax WG-2 GPS Vlogging factors
31
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (117 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone support
30
pretty wide (28mm)
provides face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
does not have external microphone socket
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Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S1 and Pentax WG-2 GPS
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS
General Information
Make Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS
Category Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Introduced 2011-01-05 2012-02-07
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine IV -
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 28-140mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.1-5.6 f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance 5cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT LCD Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate - 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.30 m 5.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30fps), 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)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG 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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 117g (0.26 lbs) 198g (0.44 lbs)
Physical dimensions 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") 122 x 61 x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 240 shots 260 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $269 $300