Panasonic GF5 vs Pentax W60

Its time to look closer at the Panasonic GF5 and Pentax W60, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The image resolution of the GF5 (12MP) and the W60 (10MP) is fairly similar but the GF5 (Four Thirds) and W60 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The GF5 was announced 2 years after the W60 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GF5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax W60 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the GF5 scores versus the W60 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 & Pentax Optio W60. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic GF5 Gallery & Pentax W60 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GF5 has got external measurements of 108mm x 67mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 267 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Pentax W60 has proportions of 98mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic GF5 and Pentax W60 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the GF5 compared to the W60.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GF5 and W60 is 89 and 94 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to see the contrast between sensor sizes only by reviewing technical specs. The pic here should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the GF5 and W60.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The GF5 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic GF5 will deliver more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more modern GF5 is going to have an advantage in sensor technology.