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Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
74
Imaging
52
Features
66
Overall
57
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Panasonic G5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 120 x 83 x 71mm
  • Released July 2012
  • Older Model is Panasonic G3
  • Refreshed by Panasonic G6
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Launched April 2015
  • Replaced the Pentax K-3
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Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There is a sizeable difference between the resolutions of the G5 (16MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the G5 (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

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The G5 was unveiled 3 years earlier than the K-3 II which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic G5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the G5 grades versus the K-3 II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G5 over the Pentax K-3 II

 G5 K-3 II 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Panasonic G5

 K-3 II G5 
LaunchedApril 2015July 2012Newer by 33 months
Display dimension3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k920kClearer display (+117k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic G5 and Pentax K-3 II

 G5 K-3 II 
Manually focus More accurate focus

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

If you are intending to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and measurements. The Panasonic G5 features physical measurements of 120mm x 83mm x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8") with a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 II has proportions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the G5 and the K-3 II.

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the G5 and K-3 II is 74 and 59 respectively.

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to see the difference between sensor dimensions just by looking at specs. The picture underneath might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the G5 and K-3 II.

As you can plainly see, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The G5 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Pentax K-3 II will give you more detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged G5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic G5
Portrait photography with Pentax K-3 II
71
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
supports RAW files
79
has manual focus
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G5 Street photography advice
Pentax K-3 II Street photography advice
66
screen can move to multiple angles
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
includes touch focus
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than average in class (396g)
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
great high ISO (51,200)
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G5 Sports photography details
Pentax K-3 II Sports photography details
51
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
max fps very slow (6.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
sensor has phase detect AF
bad battery life (720 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G5 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Travel photography camera
66
includes touch focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
lack of Timelapse recording
more heavy than average in class (396g)
56
environment sealing
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
bad battery life (720 shots)
does not have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G5 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Landscape photography camera
65
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
lack of Timelapse recording
78
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
does not have low pass filter
great high ISO (51,200)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
2 card slots
bad battery life (720 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G5 Vlogging features
Pentax K-3 II Vlogging features
62
screen is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
features face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have image stabilization
lack of microphone socket
more heavy than average in class (396g)
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external microphone support
does not have a selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G5 and Pentax K-3 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Make Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 Pentax K-3 II
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Released 2012-07-17 2015-04-23
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine VII FHD Prime III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 6016 x 4000
Max native ISO 12800 51200
Min native ISO 160 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 23 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3.2 inch
Display resolution 920 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.64x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 6.0fps 8.3fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.50 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync (available with dedicated external flash)
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 396g (0.87 lbs) 800g (1.76 lbs)
Dimensions 120 x 83 x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 61 80
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 13.6
DXO Low light rating 618 1106
Other
Battery life 320 images 720 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 Two
Price at release $699 $829