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Pentax RS1500 vs Pentax WG-3

Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
30
Overall
34
Pentax Optio RS1500 front
 
Pentax WG-3 front
Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41

Pentax RS1500 vs Pentax WG-3 Key Specs

Pentax RS1500
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Released March 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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Pentax RS1500 vs Pentax WG-3 Overview

Lets look a little more in depth at the Pentax RS1500 and Pentax WG-3, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Waterproof and both are designed by Pentax. The sensor resolution of the RS1500 (14MP) and the WG-3 (16MP) is very close and both cameras posses the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The RS1500 was released 3 years prior to the WG-3 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a concise view of how the RS1500 matches up against the WG-3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Pentax WG-3

 RS1500 WG-3 

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 over the Pentax RS1500

 WG-3 RS1500 
RevealedJuly 2013March 2011Newer by 28 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Pentax RS1500 and Pentax WG-3

 RS1500 WG-3 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Pentax RS1500 vs Pentax WG-3 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Pentax RS1500 has outside dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Pentax WG-3 has proportions of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs).

Check out the Pentax RS1500 and Pentax WG-3 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the RS1500 vs the WG-3.

Pentax RS1500 vs Pentax WG-3 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the RS1500 and WG-3 is 93 and 90 respectively.

Pentax RS1500 vs Pentax WG-3 top view buttons comparison

Pentax RS1500 vs Pentax WG-3 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by looking through technical specs. The pic here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the RS1500 and WG-3.

As you can tell, the two cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You should expect to see the Pentax WG-3 to render greater detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The more aged RS1500 will be behind in sensor technology.

Pentax RS1500 vs Pentax WG-3 sensor size comparison

Pentax RS1500 vs Pentax WG-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax RS1500 vs Pentax WG-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax RS1500 Portrait photography information
Pentax WG-3 Portrait photography information
35
manual focus
megapixel count good (14MP)
no manual mode
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
41
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
offers face detect focus
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Pentax RS1500
Street photography with Pentax WG-3
54
weather proofing
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
fixed screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Pentax RS1500
Sports photography with Pentax WG-3
37
megapixel count good (14MP)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proofing
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
45
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
environment sealing
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
bad battery (240 shots)
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Pentax RS1500
Travel photography with Pentax WG-3
67
weather proofing
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
decently wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
72
environment sealing
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
bad battery (240 per charge)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax RS1500 Landscape photography information
Pentax WG-3 Landscape photography information
40
manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
megapixel count good (14MP)
weather proofing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
no manual mode
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse function
54
has manual focus
quite wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16MP)
environment sealing
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
manual mode not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
bad battery (240 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax RS1500 Vlogging features
Pentax WG-3 Vlogging features
25
decently wide (28mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone socket
36
quite wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
lack of microphone jack
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Pentax RS1500 vs Pentax WG-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax RS1500 and Pentax WG-3
 Pentax Optio RS1500Pentax WG-3
General Information
Make Pentax Pentax
Model Pentax Optio RS1500 Pentax WG-3
Class Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Released 2011-03-16 2013-07-19
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4288 x 3216 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-110mm (3.9x) 25-100mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.5-5.5 f/2.0-4.9
Macro focus range 1cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/1500 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.90 m 3.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 157 grams (0.35 lbs) 230 grams (0.51 lbs)
Physical dimensions 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3")
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 images 240 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI92 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 One One
Retail price $150 $300