Pentax WG-3 GPS Review
Specifications
The Optio WG-3 is a compact point-and-shoot camera. Its specifications are comparable to those of other cameras in its class, and are of course slightly better than those of its predecessor.
| Camera name | Pentax WG-3 / WG-3 GPS | Pentax Optio WG-2 / WG-2 GPS |
| Announced | Q1, 2013 | Q1, 2012 |
| Resolution | 16 MP (4608 x 3456) | 16 MP (4608 x 3456) |
| Sensor | 1/2.3 inch back-lit CMOS | 1/2.3 inch back-lit CMOS |
| ISO range | Auto and manual, 125 - 6400 | Auto and manual, 125 - 6400 |
| Aspect ratios | 16:9, 4:3, and 1:1 | 16:9, 4:3, and 1:1 |
| Shake reduction | Mechanical sensor-shift and Software based (Digital SR) | Software based (Digital SR) |
| Exposure modes | Auto Picture, Program, Night Scene, Digital Microscope, Landscape,Flower, Portrait, Underwater, Interval Shooting, Handheld Night Snap,Surf and Snow, Kids, Pet, Sport, Candlelight, Fireworks, Night Scene Portrait,Text, Food, Digital Wide, Panorama, Green Mode | Auto Picture, Program, Night Scene, Digital Microscope, Landscape,Flower, Portrait, Underwater, Interval Shooting, Handheld Night Snap,Surf and Snow, Kids, Pet, Sport, Candlelight, Fireworks, Night Scene Portrait,Text, Food, Digital Wide, Panorama, Green Mode |
| Exposure compensation | +/- 2 EV (1/3EV steps) | +/- 2 EV (1/3EV steps) |
| Expanded dynamic range | Highlight and shadow | Highlight and shadow |
| Light meter | Multi-segment, center weight, spot | Multi-segment, center weight, spot |
| Shutter | Mechanical and electronic | Mechanical and electronic |
| Shutter speeds | 1/4s to 1/4000s. Night scene mode up to 4s | 1/4s to 1/2000s. Night scene mode up to 4s |
| Shutter lag | 0.016 s | 0.015 sec |
| Drive modes | One shot, Self-timer (2s and 10s), Remote control (immediate or 3s), continuous shooting, burst shooting, auto bracketing | Single, continuous, burst, self timer, remote control |
| Lens | 4x optical zoom, 4.5-18mm F2.0-F4.9 (25-100mm eqv.) | 5x optical zoom, 5-25 mm F3.5-F5.5 (28-140 mm eqv.) |
| Optics | 9 elements (4 aspherical) in 7 groups | 11 elements (5 aspherical) in 9 groups |
| Digital zoom | 7.2x | 7.2x |
| Auto focus | 9 point contrast detect AF, spot, auto tracking, focus lock, AF assist lamp | 9 point contrast detect AF, spot, auto tracking, focus lock |
| Manual focus | Infinity, pan focus, manual focus (1cm to infinity) | Infinity, pan focus, manual focus (10cm to infinity) |
| Closest focus distance | Standard: 40 cm/1.31 ft (entire zoom area)Macro: 10 cm/0.33 ft (mid-zoom to telephoto)Super macro: 1 cm/0.4 in. (mid-zoom to telephoto) | Standard: 40 cm/1.31 ft (wide), 1 m/1.1 ft (tele)Macro: 10 cm/0.33 ft (mid-zoom to telephoto)Super macro: 1 cm/0.4 in. (mid-zoom to telephoto) |
| Viewfinder | No | No |
| Live View | Yes | Yes |
| White balance | Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light (Daylight Color, Daylight White, White Light), Manual | Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light (Daylight Color, Daylight White, White Light), Manual |
| Digital filters | B&W/Sepia, Toy Camera, Retro, Color, Extract Color, Color Emphasis, High Contrast, Starburst, Soft, Fish- eye, Brightness, Miniature | B&W/Sepia, Toy Camera, Retro, Color, Extract Color, Color Emphasis, High Contrast, Starburst, Soft, Fish- eye, Brightness, Miniature |
| In-camera picture editing | Yes | Yes |
| Flash | Built-in: Range up to 5.5m/18 ft (wide angle), 3.5m/14 ft (telephoto) | Built-in: Range up to 5.5m/18 ft (wide angle), 3.5m/14 ft (telephoto) |
| Movie | Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 30 fps HD (1280 x 720) at 60 and 30 fps VGA (640 x 480) at 30 fps | Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 30 fps HD (1280 x 720) at 60 and 30 fps VGA (640 x 480) at 30 fps |
| Movie shake reduction | Movie SR (software based) | Movie SR (software based) |
| Sound | Stereo | Mono |
| In-camera movie editing | Save as still, movie divide, add title picture | Save as still, add title picture |
| LCD monitor | 3 inch, 460,000 dots (16:9) | 3 inch, 460,000 dots (16:9) |
| Storage media | SD, SDHC, SDXC, 70 MB built-in Eye-Fi compatible | SD, SDHC, SDXC, 88 MB built-in |
| File format | Still: JPG, Movie: MPEG-4 AVC/h.264 | Still: JPG, Movie: MPEG-4 AVC/h.264 |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0, PC/AV, HDMI | USB 2.0, PC/AV, HDMI |
| Battery | D-LI92 lithium-ion AC adapter K-AC117 included | D-LI92 lithium-ion Optional AC adapter |
| Infrared Ports | Front and rear | Front and rear |
| Battery life | 240 images, 65 min movie recording, 200 min playback time | 260 images, 70 min movie recording, 240 min playback time |
| Special features |
WG-3 GPS only:
|
WG-2 GPS only:
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| Size (W x H x D) | 125 x 64.5 x 32mm | 122.5 x 61.5 x 29.5mm |
| Waterproofing | Water proof to 14 m / 45 ft Shock proof (2 m / 6.6 ft drop) Cold proof (-10 C / 14 F) | Water proof to 12 meters / 40 ft Shock proof (1.5 m / 5 ft drop) Cold proof (-10 C / 14 F) |
| Weight | 239g (WG-3 GPS) | 198g (WG-2 GPS) |
We can observe based on these specifications that while the WG-3 is slightly larger and about 10% heavier than its predecessor, it has seen many other improvements. The lens is wider and about 1.5 stops faster at the wide end, and when combined with the new built-in Shake Reduction, this means that the WG-3 will be able to capture sharper photos in low-light scenarios.
