Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z

Let's take a closer look at the Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Pro DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the GH1 (12MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the GH1 (Four Thirds) and 645Z (Medium format) offer totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The GH1 was released 5 years prior to the 645Z which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic GH1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a short summary of how the GH1 matches up against the 645Z in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 and Pentax 645Z. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic GH1 Gallery and Pentax 645Z Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry around your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GH1 comes with outer dimensions of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) while the Pentax 645Z has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") having a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the GH1 and the 645Z.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GH1 and 645Z is 81 and 49 respectively.

Sometimes, it's hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizes simply by checking out specifications. The image here should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the GH1 and 645Z.

To sum up, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The GH1 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Pentax 645Z will produce greater detail as a result of its extra 39 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged GH1 will be behind in sensor technology.