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Panasonic G10 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
72
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Panasonic G10 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Panasonic G10
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 388g - 124 x 90 x 74mm
  • Launched August 2010
Pentax K-500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Revealed November 2013
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Panasonic G10 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Panasonic G10 and Pentax K-500, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the G10 (12MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the G10 (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The G10 was unveiled 4 years earlier than the K-500 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic G10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving in to a full comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the G10 grades versus the K-500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G10 over the Pentax K-500

 G10 K-500 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Panasonic G10

 K-500 G10 
RevealedNovember 2013August 2010More modern by 40 months
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic G10 and Pentax K-500

 G10 K-500 
Manual focus Dial precise focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Panasonic G10 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic G10 enjoys external dimensions of 124mm x 90mm x 74mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 2.9") along with a weight of 388 grams (0.86 lbs) while the Pentax K-500 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic G10 and Pentax K-500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use at that moment. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the G10 against the K-500.

Panasonic G10 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the G10 and K-500 is 72 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic G10 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G10 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to see the difference in sensor sizes merely by seeing a spec sheet. The pic below may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the G10 and K-500.

As you can see, both cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The G10 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-500 will produce extra detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The more aged G10 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic G10 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G10 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G10 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G10 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Portrait photography camera
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
74
you can focus manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G10 Street photography details
Pentax K-500 Street photography details
59
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
great high ISO (51,600)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G10 Sports photography features
Pentax K-500 Sports photography features
45
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
better than average battery life (380 CIPA)
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
lacks phase detect AF
72
high shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
better than average battery power (710 per charge)
sensor has phase detect AF
slow frames per second (6.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G10 Travel photography factors
Pentax K-500 Travel photography factors
54
better than average battery life (380 per charge)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse function
low megapixels (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
67
better than average battery power (710 per charge)
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic G10
Landscape photography with Pentax K-500
59
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
better than average battery life (380 shots)
no image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
missing Timelapse function
79
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
great high ISO (51,600)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (710 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G10 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-500 as a Vlogging camera
23
has face detect focusing
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone support
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone support
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Panasonic G10 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G10 and Pentax K-500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10Pentax K-500
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 Pentax K-500
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2010-08-09 2013-11-27
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine HD II PRIME M
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 51600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Total lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT Color LCD TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 202k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.52x 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/6000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per sec 6.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 11.00 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 388 gr (0.86 pounds) 646 gr (1.42 pounds)
Dimensions 124 x 90 x 74mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 2.9") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 79
DXO Color Depth rating 21.2 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 13.1
DXO Low light rating 411 1087
Other
Battery life 380 photos 710 photos
Battery style Battery Pack AA
Battery ID - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $550 $600