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Panasonic GF8 vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
90
Imaging
54
Features
62
Overall
57
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Panasonic GF8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Panasonic GF8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 266g - 107 x 65 x 33mm
  • Introduced February 2016
  • Succeeded the Panasonic GF7
Pentax ist DS2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 605g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Revealed August 2005
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Panasonic GF8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

Here is a in depth overview of the Panasonic GF8 and Pentax ist DS2, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the GF8 (16MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the GF8 (Four Thirds) and ist DS2 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The GF8 was unveiled 10 years later than the ist DS2 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GF8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go through a thorough comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the GF8 matches up vs the ist DS2 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF8 over the Pentax ist DS2

 GF8 ist DS2 
RevealedFebruary 2016August 2005Fresher by 128 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1040k210kSharper screen (+830k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Panasonic GF8

 ist DS2 GF8 

Common features in the Panasonic GF8 and Pentax ist DS2

 GF8 ist DS2 
Manually focus More precise focus
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Panasonic GF8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry your camera often, you should take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GF8 features physical measurements of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 266 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Pentax ist DS2 has proportions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic GF8 and Pentax ist DS2 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the GF8 against the ist DS2.

Panasonic GF8 vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GF8 and ist DS2 is 90 and 68 respectively.

Panasonic GF8 vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizing purely by viewing specifications. The visual below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the GF8 and ist DS2.

Plainly, each of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The GF8 with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Panasonic GF8 will render more detail having an extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The newer GF8 will have an edge in sensor innovation.

Panasonic GF8 vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GF8 Portrait photography details
Pentax ist DS2 Portrait photography details
65
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
can't use external flash
50
manual focus
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
does not have liveview
sensor resolution not great (6MP)
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic GF8
Street photography with Pentax ist DS2
80
screen tilts up and down
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
provides touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
60
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
lighter than average (605 grams)
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GF8 Sports photography features
Pentax ist DS2 Sports photography features
49
silent mode (1/16,000s)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/500s)
very slow continuous shooting (5.8 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery pack (230 shots)
no phase detect autofocus
38
decent sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
max frames per second low (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GF8 Travel photography information
Pentax ist DS2 Travel photography information
66
provides touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
terrible battery pack (230 shots)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
52
lighter than average (605 grams)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse mode
sensor resolution not great (6 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic GF8
Landscape photography with Pentax ist DS2
65
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery pack (230 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse function
46
manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (6MP)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic GF8
Vlogging with Pentax ist DS2
33
touchscreen
supports face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have microphone support
22
lighter than average (605 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great ( pixels)
missing external microphone support
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Panasonic GF8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF8 and Pentax ist DS2
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8Pentax ist DS2
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 Pentax ist DS2
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2016-02-15 2005-08-22
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 6MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4592 x 3448 3008 x 2008
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 200
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 23 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Amount of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of screen 1,040 thousand dots 210 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/500s 1/4000s
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting rate 5.8 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 5.60 m (at ISO 200) -
Flash options Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on, flash on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, flash off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 50p, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p, 25p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 -
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 266 gr (0.59 pounds) 605 gr (1.33 pounds)
Dimensions 107 x 65 x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 230 photos -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3-shot/10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/MMC card
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $549 -