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Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax RZ18

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
50
Overall
48
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 front
 
Pentax Optio RZ18 front
Portability
92
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax RZ18 Key Specs

Panasonic GF2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 310g - 113 x 68 x 33mm
  • Released February 2011
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic GF1
  • Replacement is Panasonic GF3
Pentax RZ18
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-450mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 97 x 61 x 33mm
  • Released September 2011
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Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax RZ18 Overview

Here, we will be reviewing the Panasonic GF2 versus Pentax RZ18, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the GF2 (12MP) and RZ18 (16MP) and the GF2 (Four Thirds) and RZ18 (1/2.3") have different sensor measurements.

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The GF2 was manufactured 6 months prior to the RZ18 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic GF2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax RZ18 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the GF2 matches up versus the RZ18 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF2 over the Pentax RZ18

 GF2 RZ18 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax RZ18 over the Panasonic GF2

 RZ18 GF2 

Common features in the Panasonic GF2 and Pentax RZ18

 GF2 RZ18 
ReleasedFebruary 2011September 2011Same generation
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Screen resolution460k460kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax RZ18 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic GF2 offers outside measurements of 113mm x 68mm x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 310 grams (0.68 lbs) and the Pentax RZ18 has measurements of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic GF2 versus Pentax RZ18 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the GF2 versus the RZ18.

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax RZ18 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GF2 and RZ18 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax RZ18 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax RZ18 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its difficult to imagine the gap in sensor measurements merely by viewing a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the GF2 and RZ18.

Clearly, both of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The GF2 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Pentax RZ18 will render greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs way more aggressively.

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax RZ18 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Portrait photography info
Pentax RZ18 Portrait photography info
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12MP)
36
manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Street photography features
Pentax RZ18 Street photography features
65
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no moving screen
no image stabilization
65
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
lighter than average in class (178g)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic GF2
Sports photography with Pentax RZ18
38
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
low frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12MP)
terrible battery (300 shots)
no phase detect AF
47
great zoom range (25-450mm 18.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
environment sealing
max fps very slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Travel photography advice
Pentax RZ18 Travel photography advice
52
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
terrible battery (300 per charge)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
71
lighter than average in class (178 grams)
environment sealing
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
very long reach (450mm)
no Timelapse function
does not have selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Landscape photography advice
Pentax RZ18 Landscape photography advice
55
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12MP)
terrible battery (300 per charge)
missing Time Lapse mode
49
manual focus
pretty wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
environment sealing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Vlogging advice
Pentax RZ18 Vlogging advice
32
touchscreen capability
comes with face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
missing external mic jack
30
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (178g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone port
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Panasonic GF2 vs Pentax RZ18 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF2 and Pentax RZ18
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2Pentax Optio RZ18
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 Pentax Optio RZ18
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2011-02-24 2011-09-12
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine FHD -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-450mm (18.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focusing range - 4cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.00 m 2.80 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
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) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 310 grams (0.68 lb) 178 grams (0.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 113 x 68 x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3") 97 x 61 x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 54 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.2 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 506 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch cost $330 $210