Pentax WG-1

Pentax WG-1 is Pentax's Waterproof digital camera first launched on February of 2011. It uses a 14 MegaPixel, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a maximum resolution of 4288 x 3216.

The WG-1 is scored #57 out of 75 in Waterproof cameras & all round #970 out of 1465 for cameras in our list. Remember to use our Smart camera filter to get camera rankings based on your custom requirements.

The following is a graph of various criteria used in the scoring system.

The Pentax WG-1 is part of a family of products. You can read the full range below.

You can see the WG-1 from different angles in the gallery here.

Below is a shortlist of advantages and drawbacks of the Pentax WG-1 based on criterias that are often viewed as useful in a digital camera.

The sensor spec on the Pentax WG-1 is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the ability to resolve 4288 x 3216 pixels at aspect ratios of 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9.

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The CCD sensor has 14MP and supports a standard ISO range of 80 to 6400. Unfortunately, RAW format is not supported so you have less room to maneuver in post.

The graphic below illustrates the WG-1's sensor dimensions when compared to other popular sizes. The WG-1 sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is shown in green.

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To get an understanding of different aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Pentax WG-1 weighs in at 0.35 lbs (157g or 5.54 ounces) & has exterior size of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1"). The weight of normal Waterproof camera is 195g and the Pentax WG-1 is lighter compared with its competitors.

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The following is a pic of the Pentax WG-1 with a soda to help you get a feel for its scale.

The top view here will provide the button layout on the WG-1.

The WG-1 provides a fixed lens and a focal range of 28-140mm giving it a 5.0 x zoom which isn't really perfect however it could be useful in certain situations.

At the widest 28mm, it comes with an aperture of f3.5 and that's quite slow and not great for low light circumstances and you will likely find it difficult to get good bokeh. You will likely also have to increase the ISO setting resulting in noisy photos. On the tele end, 140mm comes to f5.5 making it fairly sluggish and you might need to set slower shutter speeds.

The WG-1 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• HDMI Yes

Cameras that consist of NFC and Bluetooth compatibility can be used wirelessly through smartphones. You can easily send images and oftentimes change camera settings with no need to connect straight to the camera.

Certain applications even provide a Liveview and click the shutter when you aren't close to the camera. If the camera boasts a HDMI port, it can be connected to an external screen. Nearly all cameras will allow you to charge the battery using the USB port.

The maximum video resolution on the Pentax WG-1 is 1280 x 720 and you can capture in Motion JPEG file format. 720p is low for today's standards. You should really go for a minimum FUll HD resolution for good video. The camera doesn't feature a microphone and headphone jack so you get no control over the sound. It is probably best to order an alternative camera if you want good sound for your videos.

Pentax WG-1 has got environment sealing which makes it a very good candidate for use during tough conditions. This can be particularly beneficial if you are not sure about the elements you may encounter during outdoor photography.

The Pentax WG-1 houses a 2.7" fixed display boasting a resolution of 230k dots.

Unfortunately the display isn't a touch screen.

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The View Finder specifications for Pentax WG-1 are as follows:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders can be rather beneficial during bright outdoor situations which can make the camera screen washed out and difficult to see.

Pentax WG-1 continuous shooting speed is 1.0 frames per second. The highest shutter speed is 1/1500s.

Pentax WG-1 comes with only inbuilt flash with missing external flash ability.

Pentax WG-1 comes with just Contrast Based Auto Focus & doesn't have Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot more snappier and exact compared with Contrast Based autofocusing.

The Sensor boasts 9 focus points to pick from. It also includes Tracking Auto Focus for things that move. Pentax WG-1 has manual focusing if needed during low light occasions or you want more precise control on focusing.

The battery (D-LI92) for the Pentax WG-1 is designed to last for 260 pictures according to the CIPA standards making it about average when compared to it's competition. The general Waterproof camera battery life is 275. Olympus TG-4 features the highest possible (380) battery life within this group of cameras.

Following is a number of Waterproof cameras which have the best battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Olympus TG-4
WG-1 vs TG-4380 yesnono

Panasonic TS6
WG-1 vs TS6370 noyesno

Photography Glossary

Panasonic TS5
WG-1 vs TS5370 noyesno

Nikon AW130
WG-1 vs AW130370 nonono

Olympus TG-1 iHS
WG-1 vs TG-1 iHS350 nonono

The following bar chart indicates a analysis of the Pentax WG-1 for various kinds of photography. To read more, go to the specific paragraph below.

The Pentax WG-1 receives a points tally of 35 which is bad, meaning that it is just not suitable to use for portraits. Taking portraits favors heavily to sensor dimensions, RAW support along with the capability to utilize off-camera flash.

With a reasonable score of 54, the Pentax WG-1 is fairly appropriate for street photography. A very good street photography camera offers a fine balance of image quality plus portability.

A bad sports photography points tally of 37 means the Pentax WG-1 is just not suitable for shooting sports. A camera must have very good autofocus plus shutter speeds for sports photography.

Portability is extremely critical when getting a camera for travel. On the whole, the Pentax WG-1 gets a above average 71 as a travelling camera which is a respectable option to buy for your holidays.

For anyone who is planning to pick a digital camera for landscape photography, the most significant factor will no doubt be image quality. The Pentax WG-1 with it's bad score of 42 as a landscape camera is just not suitable among its rivals.

A camera for vlogging should really offer a articulating screen, microphone input and preferably image stabilization. Considering every thing, the Pentax WG-1 is just not suitable for vlogging as it gets a bad score of 25.

If you are searching for alternatives to the WG-1, below is a number of the top rated cameras which fall in to the family of Waterproof.

The chart below gives you a bird's eye view of the WG-1 vs it's top ranked competitors mentioned previously.

These are various other cameras you might look into as alternate options. To look at a complete comparison, simply click the "compare" link.