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Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1

Portability
90
Imaging
48
Features
48
Overall
48
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 front
 
Pentax K-1 front
Portability
55
Imaging
76
Features
82
Overall
78

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1 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
  • Revealed August 2011
  • Replaced the Panasonic GF2
  • Successor is Panasonic GF5
Pentax K-1
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 1010g - 137 x 110 x 86mm
  • Revealed February 2016
  • Replacement is Pentax K-1 II
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Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the GF3 (12MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the GF3 (Four Thirds) and K-1 (Full frame) use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The GF3 was released 5 years earlier than the K-1 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GF3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple summary of how the GF3 matches up vs the K-1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF3 over the Pentax K-1

 GF3 K-1 
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-1 over the Panasonic GF3

 K-1 GF3 
RevealedFebruary 2016August 2011More recent by 55 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k460kCrisper display (+577k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GF3 and Pentax K-1

 GF3 K-1 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic GF3 has got physical dimensions of 108mm x 67mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 264 grams (0.58 lbs) while the Pentax K-1 has measurements of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") and a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Check the Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at the time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the GF3 versus the K-1.

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GF3 and K-1 is 90 and 55 respectively.

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its tough to see the contrast between sensor measurements just by checking specifications. The graphic underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the GF3 and K-1.

To sum up, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The GF3 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Pentax K-1 will give you greater detail as a result of its extra 24 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos much more aggressively. The older GF3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GF3 Portrait photography details
Pentax K-1 Portrait photography details
55
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
supports RAW formats
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
85
manual focus
high MP (36MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
provides face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GF3 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-1 as a Street photography camera
70
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
offers focus by touch
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
70
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
above average ISO range (204,800)
more heavy than competition (1,010 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GF3 Sports photography details
Pentax K-1 Sports photography details
38
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
low frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (300 per charge)
does not have phase detect auto focus
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
high MP (36MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
provides tracking focus
environment proofing
has phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (4.4 fps)
terrible battery (760 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic GF3
Travel photography with Pentax K-1
58
offers focus by touch
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse mode
not so great battery pack (300 CIPA)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
53
environment proofing
high MP (36MP)
terrible battery (760 CIPA)
more heavy than competition (1,010g)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GF3 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax K-1 Landscape photography highlights
55
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (300 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse mode
81
manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3.2")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
high MP (36MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
above average ISO range (204,800)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
two card slots
terrible battery (760 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF3 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-1 as a Vlogging camera
32
touchscreen
comes with face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
lack of mic socket
31
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has microphone socket
screen is not selfie friendly
more heavy than competition (1,010 grams)
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Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF3 and Pentax K-1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3Pentax K-1
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 Pentax K-1
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2011-08-11 2016-02-17
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine FHD -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 36 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 7360 x 4912
Max native ISO 6400 204800
Lowest native ISO 160 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 23 33
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3" 3.2"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 4.4fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.30 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, 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
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/200 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 264 gr (0.58 pounds) 1010 gr (2.23 pounds)
Dimensions 108 x 67 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") 137 x 110 x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 50 96
DXO Color Depth rating 20.6 25.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 14.6
DXO Low light rating 459 3280
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 760 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Card slots 1 2
Launch pricing $360 $1,499