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Panasonic G3 vs Pentax W90

Portability
83
Imaging
52
Features
62
Overall
56
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 front
 
Pentax Optio W90 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29

Panasonic G3 vs Pentax W90 Key Specs

Panasonic G3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 336g - 115 x 84 x 47mm
  • Launched July 2011
  • Previous Model is Panasonic G2
  • Updated by Panasonic G5
Pentax W90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 164g - 108 x 59 x 25mm
  • Announced February 2010
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Panasonic G3 vs Pentax W90 Overview

Here, we will be contrasting the Panasonic G3 and Pentax W90, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Waterproof by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the G3 (16MP) and W90 (12MP) and the G3 (Four Thirds) and W90 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The G3 was launched 17 months later than the W90 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax W90 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a detailed comparison, here is a brief summation of how the G3 matches up vs the W90 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Pentax W90

 G3 W90 
AnnouncedJuly 2011February 2010More recent by 17 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax W90 over the Panasonic G3

 W90 G3 

Common features in the Panasonic G3 and Pentax W90

 G3 W90 
Focus manually Very precise focusing

Panasonic G3 vs Pentax W90 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic G3 has physical measurements of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Pentax W90 has measurements of 108mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs).

See the Panasonic G3 and Pentax W90 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. The following is a front view size comparison of the G3 compared to the W90.

Panasonic G3 vs Pentax W90 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the G3 and W90 is 83 and 94 respectively.

Panasonic G3 vs Pentax W90 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G3 vs Pentax W90 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is difficult to visualise the difference in sensor measurements just by going through a spec sheet. The graphic below may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the G3 and W90.

Clearly, both of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The G3 due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic G3 will show more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The fresher G3 is going to have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Panasonic G3 vs Pentax W90 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G3 vs Pentax W90 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G3 vs Pentax W90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic G3
Portrait photography with Pentax W90
71
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
saves RAW files
27
focusing manually
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
low MP (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G3 Street photography features
Pentax W90 Street photography features
75
screen can move to multiple angles
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
offers touch focus
no image stabilization
54
environment sealing
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G3 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax W90 as a Sports photography camera
47
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
low battery (270 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
24
environment sealing
max fps very slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G3 Travel photography information
Pentax W90 Travel photography information
70
offers touch focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
missing Time Lapse mode
low battery (270 CIPA)
64
environment sealing
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
low MP (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G3 Landscape photography advice
Pentax W90 Landscape photography advice
62
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
low battery (270 per charge)
missing Time Lapse mode
37
focusing manually
fairly wide (28mm)
environment sealing
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
lack of manual mode
lack of image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G3 Vlogging factors
Pentax W90 Vlogging factors
70
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
has face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
no image stabilization
missing external mic support
25
fairly wide (28mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic port
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Panasonic G3 vs Pentax W90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G3 and Pentax W90
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3Pentax Optio W90
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 Pentax Optio W90
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Launched 2011-07-11 2010-02-24
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine FHD Prime
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4592 x 3448 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 160 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1500 secs
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 11.00 m 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 336 grams (0.74 pounds) 164 grams (0.36 pounds)
Physical dimensions 115 x 84 x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") 108 x 59 x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 667 not tested
Other
Battery life 270 pictures -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model - D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $500 $120