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Panasonic GF5 vs Pentax 645D

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
54
Overall
50
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 front
 
Pentax 645D front
Portability
50
Imaging
75
Features
52
Overall
65

Panasonic GF5 vs Pentax 645D Key Specs

Panasonic GF5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 267g - 108 x 67 x 37mm
  • Launched April 2012
  • Superseded the Panasonic GF3
  • Successor is Panasonic GF6
Pentax 645D
(Full Review)
  • 40MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 1600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • No Video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1480g - 156 x 117 x 119mm
  • Revealed March 2010
  • Replacement is Pentax 645Z
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Panasonic GF5 vs Pentax 645D Overview

The following is a in depth analysis of the Panasonic GF5 and Pentax 645D, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the GF5 (12MP) and 645D (40MP) and the GF5 (Four Thirds) and 645D (Medium format) use totally different sensor sizing.

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The GF5 was brought out 2 years after the 645D which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GF5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax 645D being a Large SLR camera.

Before we go in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple view of how the GF5 scores vs the 645D with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF5 over the Pentax 645D

 GF5 645D 
RevealedApril 2012March 2010Newer by 26 months
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax 645D over the Panasonic GF5

 645D GF5 
Screen resolution921k920kCrisper screen (+1k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GF5 and Pentax 645D

 GF5 645D 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Panasonic GF5 vs Pentax 645D Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic GF5 enjoys outside dimensions of 108mm x 67mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 267 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Pentax 645D has specifications of 156mm x 117mm x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7") accompanied by a weight of 1480 grams (3.26 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic GF5 and Pentax 645D 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 change dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the GF5 vs the 645D.

Panasonic GF5 vs Pentax 645D size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the GF5 and 645D is 89 and 50 respectively.

Panasonic GF5 vs Pentax 645D top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF5 vs Pentax 645D Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions just by reviewing a spec sheet. The pic here may give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the GF5 and 645D.

As you can see, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The GF5 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax 645D will deliver extra detail having its extra 28MP. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The newer GF5 will have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Panasonic GF5 vs Pentax 645D sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF5 vs Pentax 645D Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF5 vs Pentax 645D Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic GF5
Portrait photography with Pentax 645D
55
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
no external flash support
low MP (12MP)
77
manual focus
excellent resolution (40MP)
great sensor size (Medium format)
saves RAW files
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GF5 as a Street photography camera
Pentax 645D as a Street photography camera
70
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
has focus by touch
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
58
great sensor size (Medium format)
saves RAW files
weather proof
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic GF5
Sports photography with Pentax 645D
40
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
lack of phase detect autofocus
62
excellent resolution (40 megapixels)
great sensor size (Medium format)
weather proof
has phase detect auto focus
no liveview
max fps low (1.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery (800 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GF5 Travel photography details
Pentax 645D Travel photography details
61
has focus by touch
built-in flash
no Time Lapse function
low MP (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
55
weather proof
excellent resolution (40MP)
bad battery (800 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic GF5
Landscape photography with Pentax 645D
59
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
no Time Lapse function
72
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
excellent resolution (40 megapixels)
great sensor size (Medium format)
no low pass filter
saves RAW files
weather proof
two card slots
no liveview
lack of image stabilization
bad battery (800 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF5 Vlogging info
Pentax 645D Vlogging info
32
screen is touchscreen
comes with face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
no external mic support
9
can't shoot video
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Panasonic GF5 vs Pentax 645D Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF5 and Pentax 645D
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5Pentax 645D
General Information
Make Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 Pentax 645D
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro DSLR
Launched 2012-04-05 2010-03-10
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine FHD Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 40 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 7264 x 5440
Max native ISO 12800 1600
Minimum native ISO 160 200
RAW photos
Minimum boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 23 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Available lenses 107 6
Crop factor 2.1 0.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 920k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle and with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.30 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/125 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD -
Microphone 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 None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 267 gr (0.59 pounds) 1480 gr (3.26 pounds)
Dimensions 108 x 67 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") 156 x 117 x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 50 82
DXO Color Depth score 20.5 24.6
DXO Dynamic range score 10.0 12.6
DXO Low light score 573 1262
Other
Battery life 360 photos 800 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC
Card slots Single 2
Pricing at launch $600 $4,000