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Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Pentax WG-3 front
 
Sigma DP2 Merrill front
Portability
83
Imaging
56
Features
33
Overall
46

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill Key Specs

Pentax WG-3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • 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
Sigma DP2 Merrill
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 50mm (F2.8) lens
  • 330g - 122 x 67 x 59mm
  • Announced February 2012
  • Succeeded the Sigma DP1 Merrill
  • Refreshed by Sigma DP3 Merrill
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Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill Overview

Let's look more closely at the Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Pentax and Sigma. The resolution of the WG-3 (16MP) and the DP2 Merrill (15MP) is relatively similar but the WG-3 (1/2.3") and DP2 Merrill (APS-C) posses different sensor sizing.

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The WG-3 was launched 18 months later than the DP2 Merrill which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Pentax WG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sigma DP2 Merrill being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the WG-3 grades vs the DP2 Merrill in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 over the Sigma DP2 Merrill

 WG-3 DP2 Merrill 
AnnouncedJuly 2013February 2012More recent by 18 months

Reasons to pick Sigma DP2 Merrill over the Pentax WG-3

 DP2 Merrill WG-3 
Screen resolution920k460kCrisper screen (+460k dot)

Common features in the Pentax WG-3 and Sigma DP2 Merrill

 WG-3 DP2 Merrill 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Pentax WG-3 has physical measurements 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 Sigma DP2 Merrill has proportions of 122mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.8" x 2.6" x 2.3") accompanied by a weight of 330 grams (0.73 lbs).

Look at the Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the WG-3 compared to the DP2 Merrill.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the WG-3 and DP2 Merrill is 90 and 83 respectively.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill top view buttons comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill Sensor Comparison

Usually, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements simply by reading specifications. The visual underneath may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the WG-3 and DP2 Merrill.

To sum up, each of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The WG-3 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Pentax WG-3 will offer you greater detail utilizing its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The fresher WG-3 should have an edge in sensor innovation.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill sensor size comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Portrait photography information
Sigma DP2 Merrill Portrait photography information
41
you can focus manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
includes face detect autofocus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
73
manual focus
MP count decent (15 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Street photography factors
Sigma DP2 Merrill Street photography factors
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
65
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Sports photography highlights
Sigma DP2 Merrill Sports photography highlights
45
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
environment proof
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery pack (240 shots)
has no phase detect autofocus
44
MP count decent (15 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
fixed focal length (50mm)
low frames per second (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Pentax WG-3
Travel photography with Sigma DP2 Merrill
72
environment proof
good resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
low battery pack (240 per charge)
does not offer selfie friendly display
54
MP count decent (15 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse mode
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Landscape photography highlights
Sigma DP2 Merrill Landscape photography highlights
54
you can focus manually
relatively wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16MP)
environment proof
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not available
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
low battery pack (240 CIPA)
55
manual focus
screen is a decent size (3")
MP count decent (15 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
fixed focal length (50mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
lack of image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Pentax WG-3
Vlogging with Sigma DP2 Merrill
36
relatively wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not offer selfie friendly display
missing microphone support
22
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of external mic support
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Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax WG-3 and Sigma DP2 Merrill
 Pentax WG-3Sigma DP2 Merrill
General Information
Make Pentax Sigma
Model Pentax WG-3 Sigma DP2 Merrill
Type Waterproof Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2013-07-19 2012-02-08
Physical type Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - Dual TRUE II engine
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS (Foveon X3)
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 24 x 16mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 384.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 15 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 -
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4704 x 3136
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) 50mm (1x)
Max aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/2.8
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs -
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs -
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.40 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft no built-in flash
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) 640x480
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 230 grams (0.51 pounds) 330 grams (0.73 pounds)
Physical dimensions 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") 122 x 67 x 59mm (4.8" x 2.6" x 2.3")
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 240 shots -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model D-LI92 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) -
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal -
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $300 $931