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Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
85
Imaging
47
Features
47
Overall
47
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645Z 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
  • Introduced October 2009
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GF2
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Introduced April 2014
  • Superseded the Pentax 645D
Photography Glossary

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645Z Overview

Here is a comprehensive review of the Panasonic GF1 versus Pentax 645Z, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the GF1 (12MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the GF1 (Four Thirds) and 645Z (Medium format) provide different sensor size.

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The GF1 was revealed 5 years before the 645Z and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic GF1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the GF1 matches up against the 645Z when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF1 over the Pentax 645Z

 GF1 645Z 

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Panasonic GF1

 645Z GF1 
IntroducedApril 2014October 2009Fresher by 54 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kClearer screen (+577k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GF1 and Pentax 645Z

 GF1 645Z 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic GF1 has got external dimensions of 119mm x 71mm x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") along with a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) and the Pentax 645Z has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") along with a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic GF1 versus Pentax 645Z in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the GF1 versus the 645Z.

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GF1 and 645Z is 85 and 49 respectively.

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be hard to picture the difference between sensor sizing only by reading specs. The photograph below might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the GF1 and 645Z.

All in all, both the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The GF1 with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Pentax 645Z will deliver extra detail because of its extra 39MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older GF1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GF1 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax 645Z as a Portrait photography camera
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
88
has manual focus
sensor resolution is high (51MP)
great sensor size (Medium format)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GF1 as a Street photography camera
Pentax 645Z as a Street photography camera
64
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
63
screen tilts up and down
great sensor size (Medium format)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
good ISO range (204,800)
does not have image stabilization
heavier than average in class (1,550g)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GF1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax 645Z as a Sports photography camera
44
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
great battery power (380 CIPA)
max fps low (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
lack of phase detect autofocus
71
sensor resolution is high (51MP)
great sensor size (Medium format)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
bad battery power (650 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic GF1
Travel photography with Pentax 645Z
59
great battery power (380 per charge)
has built in flash
no Timelapse mode
low MP (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
51
weather sealing
sensor resolution is high (51 megapixels)
bad battery power (650 per charge)
heavier than average in class (1,550g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax 645Z Landscape photography highlights
60
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
great battery power (380 shots)
no image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
no Timelapse mode
78
has manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2")
sensor resolution is high (51MP)
great sensor size (Medium format)
does not have low pass filter
good ISO range (204,800)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
has dual storage slots
does not have image stabilization
bad battery power (650 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Vlogging info
Pentax 645Z Vlogging info
25
includes face detection autofocus
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone socket
27
includes face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external mic jack
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
heavier than average in class (1,550g)
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Panasonic GF1 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF1 and Pentax 645Z
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1Pentax 645Z
General Information
Make Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Pentax 645Z
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro DSLR
Introduced 2009-10-14 2014-04-15
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine HD PRIME III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 51 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 8256 x 6192
Max native ISO 3200 204800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 23 27
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Amount of lenses 107 6
Crop factor 2.1 0.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3.2 inches
Screen resolution 460k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync 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
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/125 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p,24p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD Lite MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 385 grams (0.85 lb) 1550 grams (3.42 lb)
Physical dimensions 119 x 71 x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 54 101
DXO Color Depth score 21.2 26.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 14.7
DXO Low light score 513 4505
Other
Battery life 380 images 650 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/MMC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Storage slots One 2
Price at launch $400 $5,024