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Pentax WG-2

 
Pentax Optio WG-2 front
 
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 192g - 122 x 61 x 30mm
  • Launched February 2012
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Pentax WG-2 summary

Pentax WG-2 is Pentax's Waterproof camera initially launched on February of 2012. The camera uses a 16MP, BSI-CMOS 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a full resolution of 4288 x 3216.

The WG-2 is ranked #32 out of 75 in Waterproof cameras & over-all #779 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. Please use our Advanced camera filter to get camera ratings based on your customized requirements.

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The following is a graph of multiple factors used in the rating system.

Pentax WG-2 family

The Pentax WG-2 is part of a family of cameras. You can see the detailed range below.

ModelVisualizeLensResolutionSensor SizeReleased
Pentax-WG-3 front thumbnailPentax WG-3
WG-2 vs WG-3
25-100mm
F2.0-4.9
16MP1/2.3"2013
Pentax-WG-3-GPS front thumbnailPentax WG-3 GPS
WG-2 vs WG-3 GPS
25-100mm
F2.0-4.9
16MP1/2.3"2013
Photography Glossary
Pentax-WG-10 front thumbnailPentax WG-10
WG-2 vs WG-10
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
14MP1/2.3"2013
Pentax-Optio-WG-2 front thumbnailPentax WG-228-140mm
F3.5-5.5
16MP1/2.3"2012
Pentax-Optio-WG-2-GPS front thumbnailPentax WG-2 GPS
WG-2 vs WG-2 GPS
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
16MP1/2.3"2012
Pentax-Optio-WG-1-GPS front thumbnailPentax WG-1 GPS
WG-2 vs WG-1 GPS
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
14MP1/2.3"2011
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Pentax-Optio-WG-1 front thumbnailPentax WG-1
WG-2 vs WG-1
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
14MP1/2.3"2011
Pentax-Optio-W90 front thumbnailPentax W90
WG-2 vs W90
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
12MP1/2.3"2010
Pentax-Optio-WS80 front thumbnailPentax WS80
WG-2 vs WS80
35-175mm
F3.8-4.7
10MP1/2.3"2009
Pentax-Optio-W60 front thumbnailPentax W60
WG-2 vs W60
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
10MP1/2.3"2009
Pentax-Optio-W80 front thumbnailPentax W80
WG-2 vs W80
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
12MP1/2.3"2009
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Pentax WG-2 Pros and Cons

Below is a list of positives and negatives of the Pentax WG-2 based on features that are generally regarded as essential in a camera.

built in lens has zoom (28-140mm 5.0 x zoom)
decently wide (28mm)
does have HDMI out
environment sealing
features face detect autofocus
features tracking focus
flash built-in
good sized screen (3")
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
external flash not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
fixed screen
lack of aperture priority mode
lack of image stabilization
lack of shutter priority mode
lacks phase detect autofocus
lacks RAW format
missing headphone support
missing mic support
no manual exposure
screen has low resolution (460 thousand dots)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
slow at full zoom (f5.5)
slow fps (1.0 frames/s)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Pentax WG-2 Sensor specifications

The sensor specification in the Pentax WG-2 is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor can capture 4288 x 3216 pixels at aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9.

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The BSI-CMOS sensor has 16MP and supports a native ISO range of 125 - 6400. Sadly, RAW format is not saved therefore the user has less margin for error.

The graphic below shows the WG-2's sensor dimensions when compared to other common sizes. The WG-2 sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is showcased in green.

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To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Pentax WG-2 dimensions

Pentax WG-2 weighs about 0.42 lb (192g / 6.77 oz) & the over all size of the camera is 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2"). The weight of average Waterproof camera is 195g so the Pentax WG-2 is similar when compared to various competitors.

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The following is a pic of the Pentax WG-2 alongside a soft drink to help you to get a sense of its scale.

Pentax Optio WG-2 dimensions scale

The top view below will provide the button layout on the WG-2.

Pentax Optio WG-2 topview buttons dials

Pentax WG-2 Lens specifications

The WG-2 houses an inbuilt lens and a focal range of 28-140mm making it a 5.0 x zoom which won't be huge nevertheless it is going to be handy in some circumstances.

At the widest 28mm, the lens comes with an aperture of f3.5 which is pretty slow and not good for low light events and you may struggle to get a shallow depth of field. You will likely also need to raise the ISO causing noisy pictures. At the tele end, 140mm comes to f5.5 which is quite slow and you would need to choose slow shutter speeds.

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Pentax WG-2 Connectivity

The WG-2 has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • Wireless Yes
  • HDMI Yes

Digital cameras that have NFC and / or Bluetooth compatibility can be controlled wirelessly with smartphones. You can easily send photos and usually adjust camera settings with no need to connect physically to the camera.

Certain applications even enable a Liveview and release the shutter in case you are not near the camera. If the camera provides a HDMI port, it can be connected to an external display. Nearly all cameras will allow you to recharge the battery pack using the USB socket.

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Pentax WG-2 Video specifications

The highest possible video quality in the Pentax WG-2 is 1920 x 1080 and you can capture in MPEG-4 and H.264 format. 1080p quality offers a decent balance for quality versus file sizes but 1080p is not going to leave you with any room to crop. The camera does not offer a microphone and / or headphone port which means that you get no control over the sound. It is perhaps a better idea to shop for another camera in case you need good sound for your video clips.

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Pentax WG-2 Weather Sealing

Pentax WG-2 has got environment proofing which makes it a excellent choice for use for challenging climates. This is especially useful whenever you are uncertain about the conditions you may face for outdoor photography.

Pentax WG-2 Display and Viewfinder

The Pentax WG-2 houses a 3 inch fixed display screen boasting a resolution of 460 thousand dots.

Sadly the display screen is not a touch screen.

Pentax Optio WG-2 screen and viewfinder Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The ViewFinder specifications for Pentax WG-2 are the following:

  • ViewFinder None

Viewfinders are really useful for bright outdoor conditions which will make the camera display washed out and very difficult to see.

Pentax WG-2 Shutter specifications

Pentax WG-2 continuous shooting speed is 1.0 frames/s. The max shutter speed is 1/4000s.

Photography Glossary

Pentax WG-2 Flash and Hot shoe specifications

Pentax WG-2 comes with only built in flash lacking external flash support.

Pentax WG-2 Autofocus specifications

Pentax WG-2 comes with just Contrast Based AF & lacks Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection focusing is a lot more quicker & exact compared with Contrast Based focusing. The camera boasts Face detect making it valuable for people photography.

It boasts 9 focus points to choose from. It also includes Tracking AF for objects on the move. Pentax WG-2 boasts manual focusing when required for low light conditions or you want more exact control on focusing.

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Pentax WG-2 Battery life

The battery life (D-LI92) for the Pentax WG-2 is built to last for 260 pictures with respect to the CIPA benchmarks which is similar to it's rivals. The average Waterproof camera battery life is 275. Olympus TG-4 features the best (380) battery life for this type of cameras.

Here is a number of Waterproof cameras that come with the best battery life:

Pentax WG-2 for specific forms of photography

The following diagram shows a summary of the Pentax WG-2 for specific forms of photography. To read more, have a look at the specific section below.

Portrait photography with Pentax WG-2

The Pentax WG-2 gets a rating of 40 which is horrible, and means the camera is simply not appropriate for portrait photos. Photographing portraits leans greatly towards sensor specs, support for RAW photos & potential to use off-camera flash.

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you can focus manually
good resolution (16MP)
provides face detect autofocus
manual mode not available
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support

Street photography with Pentax WG-2

Having a moderate points total of 54, the Pentax WG-2 is somewhat acceptable to use in street photography. A good street photography camera offers a good balance of image quality plus portability.

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environment sealing
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support

Sports photography with Pentax WG-2

A horrible sports photography score of 38 indicates the Pentax WG-2 is simply not appropriate for taking pictures of sports. A camera needs excellent focusing and fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

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decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
weather sealing
max frames per second very slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus

Pentax WG-2 Travel photography details

Size is really crucial in buying a travel camera. Over-all, the Pentax WG-2 gets a very good 70 for a travel camera which makes it a respectable choice to purchase for your vacations.

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environment proof
decent MP (16MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)

Pentax WG-2 as a Landscape photography camera

If you're looking to purchase a camera for landscape photographs, the most significant aspect will be image quality. The Pentax WG-2 and it's reasonable rating of 47 as a landscape camera is reasonably suitable within the current market.

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focusing manually
relatively wide (28mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
weather proofing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not available
no image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files

Pentax WG-2 as a Vlogging camera

A vlogging camera should really come with a articulating screen, mic port and ideally IBIS. Taking everything into account, the Pentax WG-2 is simply not appropriate for vlogging as it comes to a horrible score of 30.

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relatively wide (28mm)
comes with face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
does not feature selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
no external mic jack

Pentax WG-2 Alternatives

If you need alternatives to the WG-2, here is a list of the top rated cameras which fall under the category of Waterproof.

The line graph followed below provides you a bird's eye view of the WG-2 vs it's highest scoring competitors shown earlier.

Here are a few more cameras you might check out as alternate options. To see a extensive comparison, simply click on the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Company
Pentax
Model type
Pentax Optio WG-2
Category
Waterproof
Launched
2012-02-07
Physical type
Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type
BSI-CMOS
Sensor size
1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions
6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area
28.1mm²
Sensor resolution
16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio
1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution
4288 x 3216
RAW photos
Max native ISO
6400
Lowest native ISO
125
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points
9
Lens
Lens support
fixed lens
Lens zoom range
28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture
f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance
1cm
Focal length multiplier
5.8
Screen
Display type
Fixed Type
Display size
3"
Resolution of display
460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology
Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type
None
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating
not tested
DXO Color Depth rating
not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating
not tested
DXO Low light rating
not tested
Features
Minimum shutter speed
4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed
1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate
1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance
5.40 m
Flash modes
Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE 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), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution
1920x1080
Video format
MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless
Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight
192g (0.42 pounds)
Dimensions
122 x 61 x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2")
Other
Battery life
260 photos
Style of battery
Battery Pack
Battery ID
D-LI92
Self timer
Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage
SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Card slots
One
Retail cost
$350