Tom’s Guide Verdict
Looking for a camera that can withstand any condition or circumstance?
Enter the Pentax WG-1000.
While the shots the camera produces arent the sharpest, there is no compromise on color and vibrancy.
Pentax WG-1000 4.9mm lens.(Image credit: Ashley Thieme)
The lack of stabilization when shooting video isnt great, but is less problematic for stills.
I definitely have a soft spot for compact digital cameras.
The cameras electronic stabilization is poor for shooting video, but the WG-1000 is more about ruggedness than vlogging.
Find out more in my full Pentax WG-1000 review.
(Manual)
Battery life (CIPA)
Approx.
The camera I tested was in an olive green color, but the WG-1000 comes in grey too.
I prefer these understated colors to vibrant popping colors the Kodak is available in.
The all-weather body is waterproof down to 15m for one hour of continuous usage.
The IP6X rating also means that the camera is dustproof against dirt and stains too.
I dropped it the second it was handed to me, but there were no bumps or scratches.
Despite the body being entirely hard plastic, by no means does this camera feel cheap.
The Pentax WG-1000 comes with a silicone protector jacket to shield the body of the camera from scratches.
There is a socket at the bottom for the camera to be mounted to a tripod.
The camera is very responsive and I had no issues in using the buttons and commands.
The camera has 7 modes to switch through including Auto, Manual and Underwater.
Pentax WG-1000 4.9mm lens.(Image credit: Ashley Thieme)
Beyond this, Scene Mode has 18 different prefs to best suit your current activity.
I took a picture of the fields on my run to demonstrate the various zoom levels.
However, digital zoom is a different story.
Pentax WG-1000 19.6mm lens (4x optical zoom).(Image credit: Ashley Thieme)
You should zoom to 24x only when desperately needed, as youll be massively sacrificing image quality.
So in those moments, I would surely reach for the Pentax WG-1000 again.
So while you could crop the images, youre better off getting a little closer to preserve quality.
Pentax WG-1000 24x digital zoom.(Image credit: Ashley Thieme)
The color from the fruit and the blue of the butterflys wings is well saturated but remains true-to-life.
Real world dynamic range performance is pretty good for a sensor this small.
This was a happy mistake as I ended up loving the aged, film-like look it gave the image.
In the above images, I tested out the macro setting by taking close-up pictures of flowers.
The images were clear but not the sharpest once cropped in.
I dont have the steadiest of hands but this camera amplified every minute movement.
The rugged Pentax WG-1000 is definitely a contender.
This does seem realistic since I was able to get 180 shots with half the battery life.
For under $200, this rugged camera is an absolute steal.
Pentax WG-1000 4.9mm lens.(Image credit: Ashley Thieme)
Pentax WG-1000 4.9mm lens cropped.(Image credit: Ashley Thieme)
Pentax WG-1000 4.9mm lens.
(Image credit: Ashley Thieme)
(Image credit: Ashley Thieme)
Landscape setting on the Pentax WG-1000.(Image credit: Ashley Thieme)
Underwater mode on the Pentax WG-1000.(Image credit: Ashley Thieme)
Macro setting on Pentax WG-1000.(Image credit: Ashley Thieme)
Macro setting on Pentax WG-1000.(Image credit: Ashley Thieme)
