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Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS

Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Key Specs

Panasonic SZ1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 131g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Released January 2012
Pentax WG-2 GPS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 198g - 122 x 61 x 30mm
  • Revealed February 2012
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Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Waterproof by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. The image resolution of the SZ1 (16MP) and the WG-2 GPS (16MP) is relatively close and they use the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ1 was released very close to the WG-2 GPS and they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the SZ1 scores vs the WG-2 GPS with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ1 over the Pentax WG-2 GPS

 SZ1 WG-2 GPS 

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-2 GPS over the Panasonic SZ1

 WG-2 GPS SZ1 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic SZ1 and Pentax WG-2 GPS

 SZ1 WG-2 GPS 
RevealedJanuary 2012February 2012Same age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic SZ1 offers outside measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs) and the Pentax WG-2 GPS has sizing of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") having a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the SZ1 compared to the WG-2 GPS.

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ1 and WG-2 GPS is 95 and 91 respectively.

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS top view buttons comparison

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizing merely by researching technical specs. The photograph below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ1 and WG-2 GPS.

As you can tell, each of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements and the same resolution and you can expect comparable quality of files though you will need to take the age of the cameras into account.

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS sensor size comparison

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic SZ1 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax WG-2 GPS as a Portrait photography camera
34
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
40
manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
supports face detection focus
no manual control
no external flash support
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic SZ1 as a Street photography camera
Pentax WG-2 GPS as a Street photography camera
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (131g)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
54
weather sealing
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic SZ1
Sports photography with Pentax WG-2 GPS
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
offers tracking focus
max frames per second low (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
38
megapixel count good (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
weather sealing
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic SZ1 Travel photography information
Pentax WG-2 GPS Travel photography information
70
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
good megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
very long zoom (250mm)
no Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.1)
70
weather sealing
megapixel count good (16MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic SZ1
Landscape photography with Pentax WG-2 GPS
43
fairly wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
no Time Lapse recording
47
manual focus
fairly wide (28mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
weather sealing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic SZ1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax WG-2 GPS as a Vlogging camera
32
fairly wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect autofocus
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no mic jack
30
fairly wide (28mm)
supports face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
missing external mic support
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Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic SZ1 and Pentax WG-2 GPS
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS
Type Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Released 2012-01-09 2012-02-07
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-250mm (10.0x) 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture f/3.1-5.9 f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range 4cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology TFT Color LCD Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder 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 per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 5.60 m 5.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (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 MPEG-4 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
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 131 grams (0.29 lbs) 198 grams (0.44 lbs)
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 250 shots 260 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $179 $300