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Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS

Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-1 GPS front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Key Specs

Panasonic ZS3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Introduced May 2009
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ7
Pentax WG-1 GPS
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 167g - 116 x 59 x 29mm
  • Introduced August 2011
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Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Overview

Below is a thorough comparison of the Panasonic ZS3 versus Pentax WG-1 GPS, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Waterproof by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the ZS3 (10MP) and WG-1 GPS (14MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The ZS3 was announced 3 years earlier than the WG-1 GPS and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a short view of how the ZS3 matches up against the WG-1 GPS for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Pentax WG-1 GPS

 ZS3 WG-1 GPS 
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-1 GPS over the Panasonic ZS3

 WG-1 GPS ZS3 
IntroducedAugust 2011May 2009More recent by 27 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focus

Common features in the Panasonic ZS3 and Pentax WG-1 GPS

 ZS3 WG-1 GPS 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS3 has external measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Pentax WG-1 GPS has proportions of 116mm x 59mm x 29mm (4.6" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS3 versus Pentax WG-1 GPS 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 at that moment. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the ZS3 versus the WG-1 GPS.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS3 and WG-1 GPS is 91 and 93 respectively.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's hard to envision the contrast between sensor measurements simply by checking specs. The visual here will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS3 and WG-1 GPS.

All in all, both of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but not the same resolution. You should anticipate the Pentax WG-1 GPS to give you more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos much more aggressively. The older ZS3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS3
Portrait photography with Pentax WG-1 GPS
19
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
35
focusing manually
decent MP (14 megapixels)
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic ZS3
Street photography with Pentax WG-1 GPS
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (229g)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
54
environment proofing
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax WG-1 GPS as a Sports photography camera
24
image stabilization (Optical)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor resolution low (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
37
decent MP (14 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
environment proofing
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic ZS3
Travel photography with Pentax WG-1 GPS
63
lighter than competitors (229 grams)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
very long reach (300mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
71
environment proofing
decent MP (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (28mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Landscape photography info
Pentax WG-1 GPS Landscape photography info
35
pretty wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
manual exposure not possible
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Timelapse mode
42
focusing manually
rather wide (28mm)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
environment proofing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7")
lack of manual mode
no image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Vlogging details
Pentax WG-1 GPS Vlogging details
30
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (229g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone port
25
rather wide (28mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have mic port
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Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax WG-1 GPS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS3 and Pentax WG-1 GPS
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3Pentax Optio WG-1 GPS
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Pentax Optio WG-1 GPS
Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ7 -
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Waterproof
Introduced 2009-05-14 2011-08-16
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 80 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-300mm (12.0x) 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture f/3.3-4.9 f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus range 3cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1500 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 2.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.30 m (Auto ISO) 3.90 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD Lite Motion JPEG
Mic 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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 229 grams (0.50 pounds) 167 grams (0.37 pounds)
Dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") 116 x 59 x 29mm (4.6" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 pictures
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $200 $350