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Panasonic GF6 vs Pentax S1

Portability
87
Imaging
52
Features
64
Overall
56
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 front
 
Pentax Optio S1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Panasonic GF6 vs Pentax S1 Key Specs

Panasonic GF6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 323g - 111 x 65 x 38mm
  • Introduced April 2013
  • Replaced the Panasonic GF5
  • Newer Model is Panasonic GF7
Pentax S1
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Introduced March 2011
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Panasonic GF6 vs Pentax S1 Overview

On this page, we are reviewing the Panasonic GF6 and Pentax S1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the GF6 (16MP) and the S1 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the GF6 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The GF6 was manufactured 2 years later than the S1 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GF6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the GF6 scores vs the S1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF6 over the Pentax S1

 GF6 S1 
IntroducedApril 2013March 2011More recent by 26 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1040k230kClearer display (+810k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax S1 over the Panasonic GF6

 S1 GF6 

Common features in the Panasonic GF6 and Pentax S1

 GF6 S1 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Panasonic GF6 vs Pentax S1 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GF6 has got outside measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 323 grams (0.71 lbs) whilst the Pentax S1 has dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic GF6 and Pentax S1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the GF6 vs the S1.

Panasonic GF6 vs Pentax S1 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the GF6 and S1 is 87 and 93 respectively.

Panasonic GF6 vs Pentax S1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF6 vs Pentax S1 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very difficult to see the difference in sensor measurements only by going through technical specs. The photograph here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the GF6 and S1.

As you have seen, the two cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The GF6 because of its larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic GF6 will produce more detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The newer GF6 is going to have an advantage in sensor tech.

Panasonic GF6 vs Pentax S1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF6 vs Pentax S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF6 vs Pentax S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GF6 Portrait photography details
Pentax S1 Portrait photography details
64
focusing manually
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
saves RAW formats
cannot use external flash
35
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (14MP)
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GF6 Street photography features
Pentax S1 Street photography features
77
screen tilts
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
features focus via touch
lack of image stabilization
56
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic GF6
Sports photography with Pentax S1
51
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
low frames per second (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus
39
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GF6 Travel photography details
Pentax S1 Travel photography details
69
features focus via touch
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
no Timelapse mode
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
64
megapixel count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GF6 Landscape photography factors
Pentax S1 Landscape photography factors
67
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
no Timelapse mode
42
you can focus manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7 inch)
no manual exposure
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic GF6
Vlogging with Pentax S1
32
touchscreen
features face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
no microphone jack
28
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external microphone jack
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Panasonic GF6 vs Pentax S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF6 and Pentax S1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6Pentax Optio S1
General Information
Make Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 Pentax Optio S1
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2013-04-08 2011-03-02
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine FHD -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3448 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Highest enhanced ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 160 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 1,040k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1500 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.30 m 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i PsF/30p in NTSC models, 50i PsF/25p on PAL), 1280 x 720p (60i PsF/30p in NTSC models, 50i PsF/25p on PAL), 640 x 480 (30/25fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 323g (0.71 lb) 157g (0.35 lb)
Physical dimensions 111 x 65 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.5") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 54 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.6 not tested
DXO Low light rating 622 not tested
Other
Battery life 340 photos 260 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $326 $174