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Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax S1

Portability
81
Imaging
49
Features
57
Overall
52
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 front
 
Pentax Optio S1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax S1 Key Specs

Panasonic GH1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 3200)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 124 x 90 x 45mm
  • Released July 2009
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GH2
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
  • Revealed March 2011
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Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax S1 Overview

Lets examine more closely at the Panasonic GH1 versus Pentax S1, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The image resolution of the GH1 (12MP) and the S1 (14MP) is very similar but the GH1 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizing.

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The GH1 was announced 20 months before the S1 making the cameras a generation away from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GH1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the GH1 scores vs the S1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH1 over the Pentax S1

 GH1 S1 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax S1 over the Panasonic GH1

 S1 GH1 
RevealedMarch 2011July 2009More modern by 20 months

Common features in the Panasonic GH1 and Pentax S1

 GH1 S1 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax S1 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GH1 provides physical dimensions of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") and a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) while the Pentax S1 has dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic GH1 versus Pentax S1 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the GH1 compared to the S1.

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax S1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GH1 and S1 is 81 and 93 respectively.

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax S1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax S1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes just by going over a spec sheet. The pic here will offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the GH1 and S1.

As you can see, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The GH1 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Pentax S1 will offer you extra detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged GH1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax S1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic GH1
Portrait photography with Pentax S1
59
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
MP count low (12 megapixels)
35
has manual focus
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
no manual mode
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Street photography info
Pentax S1 Street photography info
72
screen articulates fully
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
56
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Sports photography details
Pentax S1 Sports photography details
32
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
low frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (320 CIPA)
lacks phase detect auto focus
39
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Travel photography factors
Pentax S1 Travel photography factors
58
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
lack of Timelapse recording
not so great battery (320 shots)
MP count low (12MP)
64
decent megapixels (14MP)
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
does not feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Landscape photography details
Pentax S1 Landscape photography details
55
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
not so great battery (320 per charge)
lack of Timelapse recording
42
has manual focus
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (14MP)
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7")
no manual mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax S1 as a Vlogging camera
72
display is selfie friendly
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with microphone port
lack of image stabilization
28
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of mic jack
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Panasonic GH1 vs Pentax S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH1 and Pentax S1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1Pentax Optio S1
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Pentax Optio S1
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2009-07-10 2011-03-02
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine HD -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 18.89 x 14.48mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 273.5mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4000 x 3000 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Highest enhanced ISO 3200 -
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 1.9 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1500s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.50 m 3.90 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 385g (0.85 lbs) 157g (0.35 lbs)
Dimensions 124 x 90 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 64 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 not tested
DXO Low light rating 772 not tested
Other
Battery life 320 shots 260 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $949 $174