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Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
90
Imaging
48
Features
48
Overall
48
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs

Panasonic GF3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 264g - 108 x 67 x 32mm
  • Introduced August 2011
  • Replaced the Panasonic GF2
  • Newer Model is Panasonic GF5
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
  • Launched April 2014
  • Replaced the Pentax 645D
Photography Glossary

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax 645Z Overview

Let's examine more in depth at the Panasonic GF3 and Pentax 645Z, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the GF3 (12MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the GF3 (Four Thirds) and 645Z (Medium format) possess different sensor measurements.

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The GF3 was announced 3 years prior to the 645Z and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic GF3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a simple summary of how the GF3 grades versus the 645Z with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF3 over the Pentax 645Z

 GF3 645Z 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Panasonic GF3

 645Z GF3 
LaunchedApril 2014August 2011More recent by 32 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GF3 and Pentax 645Z

 GF3 645Z 
Focus manually More precise focus
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and size. The Panasonic GF3 enjoys physical measurements of 108mm x 67mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") and a weight of 264 grams (0.58 lbs) whilst the Pentax 645Z has specifications of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") having a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic GF3 and Pentax 645Z in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the GF3 versus the 645Z.

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GF3 and 645Z is 90 and 49 respectively.

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements simply by checking out a spec sheet. The visual below might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the GF3 and 645Z.

Clearly, the two cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The GF3 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Pentax 645Z will provide extra detail with its extra 39 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop shots a little more aggressively. The older GF3 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GF3 Portrait photography advice
Pentax 645Z Portrait photography advice
55
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
88
manual focus
MP count fantastic (51MP)
sensor size is great (Medium format)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GF3 Street photography features
Pentax 645Z Street photography features
70
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
boasts touch to focus
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
63
screen tilts
sensor size is great (Medium format)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
very good high ISO (204,800)
does not have image stabilization
heavier than average (1,550 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic GF3
Sports photography with Pentax 645Z
38
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
low battery life (300 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
71
MP count fantastic (51 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Medium format)
offers tracking focus
weather proofing
has phase detect auto focus
low fps (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery power (650 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic GF3
Travel photography with Pentax 645Z
58
boasts touch to focus
has built in flash
no Time Lapse mode
low battery life (300 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
51
weather proofing
MP count fantastic (51MP)
not so great battery power (650 shots)
heavier than average (1,550g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GF3 Landscape photography advice
Pentax 645Z Landscape photography advice
55
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
low battery life (300 shots)
no Time Lapse mode
78
manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3.2 inch)
MP count fantastic (51MP)
sensor size is great (Medium format)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
very good high ISO (204,800)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
has double storage slots
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery power (650 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF3 Vlogging features
Pentax 645Z Vlogging features
32
touchscreen enabled
provides face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
no mic socket
27
offers face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has mic port
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
heavier than average (1,550 grams)
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Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF3 and Pentax 645Z
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3Pentax 645Z
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 Pentax 645Z
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro DSLR
Introduced 2011-08-11 2014-04-15
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine FHD PRIME III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor surface 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 6400 204800
Minimum native ISO 160 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 23 27
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Available lenses 107 6
Crop factor 2.1 0.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3.2"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.30 m no built-in flash
Flash options 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
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 secs 1/125 secs
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), 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 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 264g (0.58 lbs) 1550g (3.42 lbs)
Dimensions 108 x 67 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 50 101
DXO Color Depth score 20.6 26.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 14.7
DXO Low light score 459 4505
Other
Battery life 300 shots 650 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 secs)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Storage slots One Two
Price at launch $360 $5,024