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Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax K-30

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
50
Overall
48
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 front
 
Pentax K-30 front
Portability
63
Imaging
57
Features
66
Overall
60

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax K-30 Key Specs

Panasonic GF2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 310g - 113 x 68 x 33mm
  • Launched February 2011
  • Older Model is Panasonic GF1
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GF3
Pentax K-30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 650g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Revealed October 2012
  • New Model is Pentax K-50
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Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax K-30 Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Panasonic GF2 versus Pentax K-30, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the GF2 (12MP) and K-30 (16MP) and the GF2 (Four Thirds) and K-30 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor size.

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The GF2 was released 20 months prior to the K-30 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GF2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going through a in depth comparison, below is a brief summation of how the GF2 grades versus the K-30 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF2 over the Pentax K-30

 GF2 K-30 
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-30 over the Panasonic GF2

 K-30 GF2 
RevealedOctober 2012February 2011Newer by 20 months
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GF2 and Pentax K-30

 GF2 K-30 
Focus manually More exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax K-30 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to travel with your camera, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GF2 comes with physical measurements of 113mm x 68mm x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3") with a weight of 310 grams (0.68 lbs) while the Pentax K-30 has dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Check the Panasonic GF2 versus Pentax K-30 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose during that time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the GF2 and the K-30.

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax K-30 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the GF2 and K-30 is 88 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax K-30 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax K-30 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is hard to see the difference in sensor dimensions purely by looking through specifications. The pic below will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the GF2 and K-30.

To sum up, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The GF2 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Pentax K-30 will provide you with more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged GF2 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax K-30 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax K-30 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax K-30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Portrait photography advice
Pentax K-30 Portrait photography advice
60
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focus
saves RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
74
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Street photography highlights
Pentax K-30 Street photography highlights
65
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Sports photography advice
Pentax K-30 Sports photography advice
38
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (300 CIPA)
has no phase detect auto focus
67
high shutter speed (1/6,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking focus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
max frames per second low (6.0 frames/s)
bad battery (410 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Travel photography details
Pentax K-30 Travel photography details
52
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery (300 CIPA)
low MP (12 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
60
weather sealing
resolution is good (16MP)
has built in flash
bad battery (410 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Landscape photography factors
Pentax K-30 Landscape photography factors
55
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (300 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse function
73
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
bad battery (410 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Vlogging advice
Pentax K-30 Vlogging advice
32
has touchscreen
includes face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
lack of external microphone jack
30
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
no mic socket
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Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax K-30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF2 and Pentax K-30
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2Pentax K-30
General Information
Make Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 Pentax K-30
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Launched 2011-02-24 2012-10-29
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine FHD Prime M
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 23 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Total lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 6.00 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye,Slow Sync, Slow Sync+ Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 310 gr (0.68 pounds) 650 gr (1.43 pounds)
Dimensions 113 x 68 x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 54 79
DXO Color Depth rating 21.2 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 13.0
DXO Low light rating 506 1129
Other
Battery life 300 images 410 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI109,4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $330 $525