Clicky

Pentax WG-3 vs Samsung SL820

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Pentax WG-3 front
 
Samsung SL820 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29

Pentax WG-3 vs Samsung SL820 Key Specs

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
  • Launched July 2013
Samsung SL820
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.4-5.8) lens
  • 168g - 95 x 59 x 23mm
  • Announced February 2009
  • Also Known as IT100
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Pentax WG-3 vs Samsung SL820 Overview

On this page, we will be looking at the Pentax WG-3 versus Samsung SL820, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Pentax and Samsung. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the WG-3 (16MP) and SL820 (12MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor size (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The WG-3 was revealed 4 years later than the SL820 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summation of how the WG-3 matches up versus the SL820 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
	
	

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 over the Samsung SL820

 WG-3 SL820 
AnnouncedJuly 2013February 2009More recent by 54 months
Manually focus More exact focus
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Samsung SL820 over the Pentax WG-3

 SL820 WG-3 

Common features in the Pentax WG-3 and Samsung SL820

 WG-3 SL820 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Pentax WG-3 vs Samsung SL820 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Pentax WG-3 enjoys physical 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) and the Samsung SL820 has dimensions of 95mm x 59mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9") having a weight of 168 grams (0.37 lbs).

Analyze the Pentax WG-3 versus Samsung SL820 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. Here is a front view size comparison of the WG-3 against the SL820.

Pentax WG-3 vs Samsung SL820 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the WG-3 and SL820 is 90 and 94 respectively.

Pentax WG-3 vs Samsung SL820 top view buttons comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Samsung SL820 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to picture the contrast in sensor measurements merely by seeing specs. The graphic here will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the WG-3 and SL820.

All in all, both cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different resolution. You can expect the Pentax WG-3 to produce greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The fresher WG-3 should have an advantage in sensor technology.

Pentax WG-3 vs Samsung SL820 sensor size comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Samsung SL820 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax WG-3 vs Samsung SL820 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Portrait photography information
Samsung SL820 Portrait photography information
41
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
includes face detection focusing
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
26
supports face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
low resolution (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Street Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Street photography factors
Samsung SL820 Street photography factors
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
47
no moving screen
no image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Sports photography info
Samsung SL820 Sports photography info
45
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proof
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (240 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
17
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
low resolution (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Travel Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Travel photography details
Samsung SL820 Travel photography details
72
environment proof
good megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
not so great battery power (240 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
57
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
low resolution (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Landscape photography details
Samsung SL820 Landscape photography details
54
you can focus manually
fairly wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16MP)
environment proof
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not available
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
not so great battery power (240 shots)
32
quite wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3")
lack of manual focus
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
no manual control
no image stabilization
low resolution (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
missing Time Lapse recording
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Pentax WG-3
Vlogging with Samsung SL820
36
fairly wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
no external microphone support
28
quite wide (28mm)
supports face detection focusing
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external mic support
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Pentax WG-3 vs Samsung SL820 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax WG-3 and Samsung SL820
 Pentax WG-3Samsung SL820
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Samsung
Model type Pentax WG-3 Samsung SL820
Also called as - IT100
Type Waterproof Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2013-07-19 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 1600
Min native ISO 125 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/3.4-5.8
Macro focusing distance 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 8 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1500 secs
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.40 m 4.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Auto, On, Off, Auto & Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Fill-in Flash, Flash Off, Red-Eye Fix
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (60, 30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 230g (0.51 lbs) 168g (0.37 lbs)
Physical dimensions 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") 95 x 59 x 23mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9")
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 photos -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID D-LI92 SLB-10A
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal SD/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $300 $280