Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H vs Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H and the Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H was introduced in August 2019 and Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS was introduced in February 2012. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H over Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS over Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H has a 3.2" Fully Articulated screen with 2,330k dot resolution and Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 460k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Electronic (OLED) Viewfinder on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H has a built-in Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 5,760k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 0.78x magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H features a 24.2 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.6 x 23.8 mm and a total area of 847.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200 and expands to 50 - 204,800 in boosted mode. Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS features a 16 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 125 - 6,400.

Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H is equipped with Venus Engine processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS can take pictures up to 4288 x 3216 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4288 x 3216, 4224 x 2376, 3216 x 3216, 3072 x 2304, 3072 x 1728, 2592 x 1944, 2592 x 1464, 2048 x 1536, 1920 x 1080, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 with 1:1, 4:3, 16:9 aspect ratios.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 6.5 stops of compensation. This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in GPS on Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS

Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H has a built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H has a Full Size HDMI and Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS has a Type D Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H comes with DMW-BLJ31 battery pack with battery life of 400 shots and Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS comes with D-LI92 battery pack with battery life of 260 shots.

External Storage Slots

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slots. Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H, and up to 1/4000 sec on Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS. Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H can shoot continuously up to 9.0 fps. Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS can shoot continuously up to 1.0 fps.

Focusing

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H has 225 focusing points and Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS has 9 focusing points. Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H has detection range from -6 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H ranges from 0 to +18 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H and exposure bracketing on Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS.

Flash

Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS has a built-in flash with maximum range of 5.40 m. Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/320 sec on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H body has dimensions of 151 x 114 x 110 mm (5.94 x 4.49 x 4.33") and Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS body has dimensions of 122 x 61 x 30 mm (4.8 x 2.4 x 1.18"). Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H weighs 1052 g (2.32 lb / 37.11 oz) and Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS weighs 198 g (0.44 lb / 6.98 oz).

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H

Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS

151 mm

114 mm

122 mm

61 mm

114 mm

61 mm

110 mm

30 mm