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Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
81
Imaging
49
Features
57
Overall
52
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs

Panasonic GH1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Increase to 3200)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 124 x 90 x 45mm
  • Released July 2009
  • Later Model is Panasonic GH2
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Announced April 2014
  • Old Model is Pentax 645D
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Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH1 over the Pentax 645Z

 GH1 645Z 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Panasonic GH1

 645Z GH1 
AnnouncedApril 2014July 2009More modern by 58 months
Display size3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k460kClearer display (+577k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GH1 and Pentax 645Z

 GH1 645Z 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Touch display Missing Touch display

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

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

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

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.

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Portrait photography information
Pentax 645Z Portrait photography information
59
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
88
focusing manually
resolution is high (51MP)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Street photography advice
Pentax 645Z Street photography advice
72
screen can move to multiple angles
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
does not have image stabilization
63
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is large (Medium format)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
very good high ISO (204,800)
no image stabilization
more heavy than average in class (1,550 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax 645Z as a Sports photography camera
32
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (320 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
71
resolution is high (51MP)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
low battery (650 per charge)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Travel photography factors
Pentax 645Z Travel photography factors
58
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
missing Time Lapse function
terrible battery (320 CIPA)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
51
weather proofing
resolution is high (51MP)
low battery (650 CIPA)
more heavy than average in class (1,550g)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax 645Z Landscape photography highlights
55
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (320 per charge)
missing Time Lapse function
78
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
screen size is good (3.2")
resolution is high (51MP)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
very good high ISO (204,800)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
has double storage slots
no image stabilization
low battery (650 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax 645Z as a Vlogging camera
72
selfie friendly screen
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with mic socket
does not have image stabilization
27
includes face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have microphone port
doesn't have selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
more heavy than average in class (1,550 grams)
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Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH1 and Pentax 645Z
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1Pentax 645Z
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Pentax 645Z
Type Advanced Mirrorless Pro DSLR
Released 2009-07-10 2014-04-15
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine HD PRIME III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor measurements 18.89 x 14.48mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor area 273.5mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 51 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 8256 x 6192
Maximum native ISO 1600 204800
Maximum boosted ISO 3200 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 27
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Total lenses 107 6
Crop factor 1.9 0.8
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3.2"
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.50 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Flash On, Flash On+Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync+Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, contrast-control-sync, high-speed sync, wireless sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160 secs 1/125 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p,24p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 385 grams (0.85 lbs) 1550 grams (3.42 lbs)
Physical dimensions 124 x 90 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 64 101
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 14.7
DXO Low light rating 772 4505
Other
Battery life 320 pictures 650 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Storage slots One Two
Pricing at launch $949 $5,024