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Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-3

Portability
96
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 front
 
Pentax WG-3 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
44
Overall
41

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-3 Key Specs

Panasonic S1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Announced January 2011
Pentax WG-3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 124 x 64 x 33mm
  • Revealed July 2013
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Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-3 Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Panasonic S1 and Pentax WG-3, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Waterproof by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the S1 (12MP) and WG-3 (16MP) but they enjoy the same exact sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The S1 was launched 3 years earlier than the WG-3 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a brief summation of how the S1 scores versus the WG-3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic S1 over the Pentax WG-3

 S1 WG-3 

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 over the Panasonic S1

 WG-3 S1 
RevealedJuly 2013January 2011Newer by 30 months
Focus manually More exact focusing
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic S1 and Pentax WG-3

 S1 WG-3 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic S1 offers external measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Pentax WG-3 has dimensions of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs).

Check the Panasonic S1 and Pentax WG-3 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the S1 compared to the WG-3.

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-3 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S1 and WG-3 is 96 and 90 respectively.

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-3 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-3 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very hard to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions only by researching a spec sheet. The image below may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the S1 and WG-3.

As you can see, both of those cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but not the same megapixels. You should anticipate the Pentax WG-3 to provide you with more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos far more aggressively. The more aged S1 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-3 sensor size comparison

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic S1 Portrait photography info
Pentax WG-3 Portrait photography info
21
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
low megapixels (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
40
manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
provides face detection focusing
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic S1
Street photography with Pentax WG-3
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (117g)
fixed screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proofing
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic S1 Sports photography details
Pentax WG-3 Sports photography details
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
44
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proofing
no shutter priority
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (240 CIPA)
has no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Panasonic S1 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax WG-3 as a Travel photography camera
62
lighter than competitors in class (117g)
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.1)
72
environment proofing
good MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
terrible battery life (240 shots)
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic S1 Landscape photography details
Pentax WG-3 Landscape photography details
32
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7")
manual exposure not available
low megapixels (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
missing Time Lapse mode
53
manual focus
fairly wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16 megapixels)
environment proofing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
lack of manual mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
terrible battery life (240 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic S1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax WG-3 as a Vlogging camera
31
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (117g)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external mic socket
36
fairly wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not contain selfie friendly display
doesn't have external microphone port
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Panasonic S1 vs Pentax WG-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S1 and Pentax WG-3
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1Pentax WG-3
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 Pentax WG-3
Type Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Announced 2011-01-05 2013-07-19
Body design 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 surface 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
Peak resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
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 11 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 25-100mm (4.0x)
Max aperture f/3.1-5.6 f/2.0-4.9
Macro focusing range 5cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT LCD Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 8s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed - 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.30 m 3.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 117 grams (0.26 pounds) 230 grams (0.51 pounds)
Dimensions 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photographs 240 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail cost $269 $300