Panasonic GF3 vs Pentax K-1 II

On this page, we will be matching up the Panasonic GF3 and Pentax K-1 II, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the GF3 (12MP) and K-1 II (36MP) and the GF3 (Four Thirds) and K-1 II (Full frame) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The GF3 was manufactured 7 years prior to the K-1 II and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GF3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-1 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise summation of how the GF3 grades vs the K-1 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 & Pentax K-1 Mark II. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic GF3 Gallery & Pentax K-1 II Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic GF3 offers external measurements of 108mm x 67mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 264 grams (0.58 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-1 II has sizing of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") having a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic GF3 and Pentax K-1 II in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are working with at that time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the GF3 compared to the K-1 II.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GF3 and K-1 II is 90 and 55 respectively.

Normally, its hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements only by going through specs. The visual below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the GF3 and K-1 II.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The GF3 due to its smaller sensor will make achieving bokeh tougher and the Pentax K-1 II will produce more detail due to its extra 24MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs more aggressively. The older GF3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.