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Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645D

Portability
85
Imaging
47
Features
47
Overall
47
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 front
 
Pentax 645D front
Portability
50
Imaging
76
Features
52
Overall
66

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645D Key Specs

Panasonic GF1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 119 x 71 x 36mm
  • Revealed October 2009
  • Successor is Panasonic GF2
Pentax 645D
(Full Review)
  • 40MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 1600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • No Video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1480g - 156 x 117 x 119mm
  • Announced March 2010
  • Later Model is Pentax 645Z
Photography Glossary

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645D Overview

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic GF1 versus Pentax 645D, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the GF1 (12MP) and 645D (40MP) and the GF1 (Four Thirds) and 645D (Medium format) provide different sensor sizing.

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The GF1 was announced 4 months before the 645D so they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic GF1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax 645D being a Large SLR camera.

Before diving into a thorough comparison, here is a brief overview of how the GF1 scores against the 645D for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF1 over the Pentax 645D

 GF1 645D 

Reasons to pick Pentax 645D over the Panasonic GF1

 645D GF1 
Screen resolution921k460kCrisper screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GF1 and Pentax 645D

 GF1 645D 
AnnouncedOctober 2009March 2010Same generation
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645D Physical Comparison

When you are going to lug around your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic GF1 provides outer measurements of 119mm x 71mm x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) whilst the Pentax 645D has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7") and a weight of 1480 grams (3.26 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic GF1 versus Pentax 645D in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the GF1 compared to the 645D.

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645D size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the GF1 and 645D is 85 and 50 respectively.

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645D top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645D Sensor Comparison

Often, its hard to picture the gap in sensor measurements purely by looking through technical specs. The graphic underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the GF1 and 645D.

As you have seen, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The GF1 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Pentax 645D will provide you with greater detail with its extra 28 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively.

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645D sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645D Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645D Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Portrait photography info
Pentax 645D Portrait photography info
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
77
focusing manually
MP count excellent (40 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
saves RAW files
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Street photography advice
Pentax 645D Street photography advice
64
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
58
sensor size is large (Medium format)
saves RAW files
weather proof
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GF1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax 645D as a Sports photography camera
44
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
better than average battery life (380 CIPA)
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
has no phase detect AF
63
MP count excellent (40 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
weather proof
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
low battery (800 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Travel photography factors
Pentax 645D Travel photography factors
59
better than average battery life (380 CIPA)
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (12MP)
does not have selfie friendly screen
55
weather proof
MP count excellent (40MP)
low battery (800 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Landscape photography advice
Pentax 645D Landscape photography advice
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
better than average battery life (380 per charge)
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse recording
72
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
MP count excellent (40MP)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
no anti aliasing filter
saves RAW files
weather proof
has double storage slots
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
low battery (800 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax 645D as a Vlogging camera
25
offers face detect focusing
does not have selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of mic jack
9
no video
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Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645D Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF1 and Pentax 645D
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1Pentax 645D
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Pentax 645D
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro DSLR
Revealed 2009-10-14 2010-03-10
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine HD Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 40 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 7264 x 5440
Highest native ISO 3200 1600
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Min boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 23 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Total lenses 107 6
Crop factor 2.1 0.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle and with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.00 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160 secs 1/125 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video file format AVCHD Lite -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 385 grams (0.85 pounds) 1480 grams (3.26 pounds)
Physical dimensions 119 x 71 x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") 156 x 117 x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 54 82
DXO Color Depth score 21.2 24.6
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 12.6
DXO Low light score 513 1262
Other
Battery life 380 shots 800 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/MMC SD/SDHC
Storage slots Single Two
Launch price $400 $4,000