Panasonic G5 vs Pentax W90

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic G5 and Pentax W90, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Waterproof by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference among the image resolutions of the G5 (16MP) and W90 (12MP) and the G5 (Four Thirds) and W90 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The G5 was revealed 2 years later than the W90 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic G5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax W90 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a quick view of how the G5 matches up vs the W90 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 & Pentax Optio W90. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic G5 Gallery & Pentax W90 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic G5 comes with outer 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 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).

Contrast the Panasonic G5 and Pentax W90 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the G5 vs the W90.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the G5 and W90 is 74 and 94 respectively.

Usually, it can be tough to visualize the gap in sensor measurements just by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic here might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the G5 and W90.

Clearly, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The G5 using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic G5 will produce more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The fresher G5 should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.