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Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Pentax WG-3 front
 
Sigma SD1 Merrill front
Portability
57
Imaging
56
Features
45
Overall
51

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill 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
  • Introduced July 2013
Sigma SD1 Merrill
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • No Video
  • Sigma SA Mount
  • 790g - 146 x 113 x 80mm
  • Announced April 2012
  • Superseded the Sigma SD1
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Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Overview

Here, we will be comparing the Pentax WG-3 and Sigma SD1 Merrill, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Pentax and Sigma. The image resolution of the WG-3 (16MP) and the SD1 Merrill (15MP) is pretty comparable but the WG-3 (1/2.3") and SD1 Merrill (APS-C) have different sensor sizing.

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The WG-3 was manufactured 16 months after the SD1 Merrill which makes them a generation away from one another. The two cameras feature different body design with the Pentax WG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple summary of how the WG-3 scores vs the SD1 Merrill for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 over the Sigma SD1 Merrill

 WG-3 SD1 Merrill 
AnnouncedJuly 2013April 2012Newer by 16 months

Reasons to pick Sigma SD1 Merrill over the Pentax WG-3

 SD1 Merrill WG-3 

Common features in the Pentax WG-3 and Sigma SD1 Merrill

 WG-3 SD1 Merrill 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Screen resolution460k460kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and size. The Pentax WG-3 enjoys outer 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) while the Sigma SD1 Merrill has specifications of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") with a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs).

See the Pentax WG-3 and Sigma SD1 Merrill in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the WG-3 vs the SD1 Merrill.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the WG-3 and SD1 Merrill is 90 and 57 respectively.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill top view buttons comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very tough to imagine the difference in sensor dimensions simply by going through a spec sheet. The image here might provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the WG-3 and SD1 Merrill.

As you can see, each of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The WG-3 due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax WG-3 will produce greater detail due to its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop shots way more aggressively. The newer WG-3 should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill sensor size comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Portrait photography details
Sigma SD1 Merrill Portrait photography details
41
focusing manually
good resolution (16MP)
supports face detect autofocus
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
65
manual focus
resolution is good (15 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no liveview feature
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Street Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Street photography advice
Sigma SD1 Merrill Street photography advice
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
57
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Sports photography highlights
Sigma SD1 Merrill Sports photography highlights
45
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
environment sealing
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery pack (240 shots)
has no phase detect autofocus
61
resolution is good (15MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
environment sealing
has phase detect AF
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Travel photography advice
Sigma SD1 Merrill Travel photography advice
72
environment sealing
good resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
low battery pack (240 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
54
environment sealing
resolution is good (15 megapixels)
no Timelapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax WG-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sigma SD1 Merrill as a Landscape photography camera
54
focusing manually
fairly wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16MP)
environment sealing
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
lack of manual mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
low battery pack (240 CIPA)
63
manual focus
switch lenses (Sigma SA mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
resolution is good (15 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Vlogging highlights
Sigma SD1 Merrill Vlogging highlights
36
fairly wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing mic support
9
no video recording
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Pentax WG-3 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax WG-3 and Sigma SD1 Merrill
 Pentax WG-3Sigma SD1 Merrill
General Information
Manufacturer Pentax Sigma
Model Pentax WG-3 Sigma SD1 Merrill
Type Waterproof Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2013-07-19 2012-04-10
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Dual True II
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS (Foveon X3)
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 24 x 16mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 384.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 15 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 -
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4800 x 3200
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 125 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sigma SA
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 76
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 96%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Min shutter speed 4s -
Max shutter speed 1/4000s -
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.40 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft no built-in flash
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone 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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 230 grams (0.51 pounds) 790 grams (1.74 pounds)
Physical dimensions 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") 146 x 113 x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1")
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 240 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model D-LI92 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal Compact Flash (Type I, UDMA compatible)
Card slots One One
Retail pricing $300 $2,339