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Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax WG-2

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-2 front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax WG-2 Key Specs

Panasonic ZR1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-200mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 158g - 98 x 55 x 26mm
  • Revealed July 2009
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-ZX1
Pentax WG-2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 192g - 122 x 61 x 30mm
  • Revealed February 2012
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Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax WG-2 Overview

Following is a in depth overview of the Panasonic ZR1 versus Pentax WG-2, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Waterproof by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the ZR1 (12MP) and WG-2 (16MP) but they feature the same exact sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The ZR1 was revealed 3 years before the WG-2 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before going in to a full comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the ZR1 scores versus the WG-2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZR1 over the Pentax WG-2

 ZR1 WG-2 

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-2 over the Panasonic ZR1

 WG-2 ZR1 
RevealedFebruary 2012July 2009More modern by 30 months
Focus manually Very precise focus
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZR1 and Pentax WG-2

 ZR1 WG-2 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax WG-2 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZR1 has got outer measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") along with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Pentax WG-2 has measurements of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") with a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZR1 versus Pentax WG-2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the ZR1 and the WG-2.

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax WG-2 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZR1 and WG-2 is 94 and 91 respectively.

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax WG-2 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax WG-2 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to see the contrast between sensor sizes only by looking at specs. The image here might give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the ZR1 and WG-2.

All in all, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Pentax WG-2 to resolve extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will help you crop shots far more aggressively. The more aged ZR1 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax WG-2 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax WG-2 Portrait photography highlights
21
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
40
focusing manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
comes with face detection focusing
manual mode not available
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic ZR1
Street photography with Pentax WG-2
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
54
weather sealing
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic ZR1
Sports photography with Pentax WG-2
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
38
decent MP (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather sealing
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 Travel photography details
Pentax WG-2 Travel photography details
57
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
no Timelapse function
MP count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
70
weather sealing
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 Landscape photography info
Pentax WG-2 Landscape photography info
32
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
manual exposure not possible
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
no Timelapse function
47
focusing manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
decent MP (16MP)
weather sealing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not available
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax WG-2 as a Vlogging camera
28
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone port
30
reasonably wide (28mm)
comes with face detection focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
missing external microphone jack
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Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax WG-2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZR1 and Pentax WG-2
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1Pentax Optio WG-2
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 Pentax Optio WG-2
Also called as Lumix DMC-ZX1 -
Class Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Revealed 2009-07-27 2012-02-07
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine V -
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 aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4000 x 3000 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 125
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-200mm (8.0x) 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.3-5.9 f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus range 3cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech - Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 2.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.10 m 5.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 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)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 158 gr (0.35 lbs) 192 gr (0.42 lbs)
Dimensions 98 x 55 x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") 122 x 61 x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 260 images
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $280 $350