Pentax WG-90 Comparison Review

The Pentax WG-90 is a fixed lens compact camera that was announced in November 2023 and is equipped with a 1/2.3-inch sensor. It offers a resolution of 15.9 megapixel.

Is the Pentax WG-90 a good camera? The WG-90 has a Camera Elo of 1669. This rating puts the WG-90 below average of all travel zoom compact cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (small sensor cameras), the WG-90 also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Pentax WG-90 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Pentax WG-90 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Pentax WG-90	123 mm	62 mm	30 mm	194 g	300	Y	Nov 2023	279	amazon.com
2.		Canon SX600	104 mm	61 mm	26 mm	188 g	290	n	Jan 2014	249	ebay.com
3.		Fujifilm XP120	110 mm	71 mm	28 mm	203 g	210	Y	Jan 2017	229	ebay.com
4.		Fujifilm XP130	110 mm	71 mm	28 mm	207 g	240	Y	Jan 2018	229	ebay.com
5.		Fujifilm XP140	110 mm	71 mm	28 mm	207 g	240	Y	Feb 2019	229	ebay.com
6.		Nikon W150	110 mm	67 mm	38 mm	177 g	220	Y	Apr 2019	159	ebay.com
7.		Nikon W300	112 mm	66 mm	29 mm	231 g	280	Y	May 2017	389	ebay.com
8.		Ricoh WG-60	123 mm	62 mm	30 mm	193 g	300	Y	Oct 2018	279	ebay.com
9.		Sony RX0	59 mm	41 mm	30 mm	110 g	240	Y	Aug 2017	699	ebay.com
10.		Sony RX0 II	59 mm	41 mm	35 mm	132 g	240	Y	Mar 2019	699	amazon.com
11.		Sony WX800	102 mm	58 mm	36 mm	233 g	370	n	Oct 2018	399	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Pentax WG-90 was launched in the US market at a price of $279. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check WG-90 price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Pentax WG-90 features a 1/2.3-inch sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 5.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Pentax WG-90 among the smaller-sensor digicams that favor affordability and compact design.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Pentax WG-90	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	20.9	12.8	1570	54
2.		Canon SX600	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	20.0	11.4	620	45
3.		Fujifilm XP120	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	20.5	11.9	900	49
4.		Fujifilm XP130	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	20.6	12.1	1000	51
5.		Fujifilm XP140	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	4K/15p	20.7	12.2	1102	52
6.		Nikon W150	1/3.1	13.0	4160	3120	1080/30p	22.1	13.8	4058	65
7.		Nikon W300	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	4K/30p	20.5	12.0	938	50
8.		Ricoh WG-60	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	20.6	12.2	1072	51
9.		Sony RX0	1-inch	15.4	4800	3200	1080/60p	22.4	12.4	548	68
10.		Sony RX0 II	1-inch	15.4	4800	3200	4K/30p	22.1	12.4	555	65
11.		Sony WX800	1/2.3	18.0	4896	3672	4K/30p	20.6	12.2	1070	51
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The WG-90 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the WG-90 can use is 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Pentax WG-90 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Pentax WG-90	none	n	2.7 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	8.0/s	Y	n
2.		Canon SX600	none	n	3.0 / 461	fixed	n	1/2000s	3.9/s	Y	Y
3.		Fujifilm XP120	none	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
4.		Fujifilm XP130	none	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
5.		Fujifilm XP140	none	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
6.		Nikon W150	none	n	2.7 / 230	fixed	n	1/2000s	4.7/s	Y	n
7.		Nikon W300	none	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	7.0/s	Y	Y
8.		Ricoh WG-60	none	n	2.7 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	8.0/s	Y	n
9.		Sony RX0	none	n	1.5 / 230	fixed	n	..	5.5/s	n	n
10.		Sony RX0 II	none	n	1.5 / 230	tilting	n	..	5.5/s	n	n
11.		Sony WX800	none	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One convenient feature of the WG-90 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Pentax WG-90 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Pentax WG-90	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon SX600	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
3.		Fujifilm XP120	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
4.		Fujifilm XP130	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
5.		Fujifilm XP140	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
6.		Nikon W150	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
7.		Nikon W300	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
8.		Ricoh WG-60	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Sony RX0	-	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
10.		Sony RX0 II	-	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
11.		Sony WX800	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-

The WG-90 has a zoom lens built in (5-25mm f/3.5-5.5), which, in full frame equivalent terms, provides a focal length range from 28 to 140mm. The camera is, hence, ready to shoot, while remaining more compact in size than an interchangeable lens camera with an optic that offers similar focal length and aperture specifications.

Further information on the features and operation of the WG-90 can be found in the free online Pentax WG-90 Manual or on the Pentax support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the WG-90. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is why expert reviews are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Pentax WG-90	..	..	..	..	..	..	Nov 2023	279	amazon.com
2.		Canon SX600	..	+	..	..	4/5	4/5	Jan 2014	249	ebay.com
3.		Fujifilm XP120	..	o	..	..	3.5/5	4/5	Jan 2017	229	ebay.com
4.		Fujifilm XP130	..	o	..	..	3.5/5	4/5	Jan 2018	229	ebay.com
5.		Fujifilm XP140	..	+	..	..	3.5/5	4/5	Feb 2019	229	ebay.com
6.		Nikon W150	..	+	..	..	3.5/5	3/5	Apr 2019	159	ebay.com
7.		Nikon W300	..	+	..	..	4/5	4/5	May 2017	389	ebay.com
8.		Ricoh WG-60	..	..	..	..	..	..	Oct 2018	279	ebay.com
9.		Sony RX0	..	..	..	..	3.5/5	4/5	Aug 2017	699	ebay.com
10.		Sony RX0 II	..	..	..	..	3.5/5	4/5	Mar 2019	699	amazon.com
11.		Sony WX800	..	..	..	..	..	..	Oct 2018	399	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Check WG-90 price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just make your choice using the following search menu. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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