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Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
70
Imaging
51
Features
65
Overall
56
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Panasonic GH2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 442g - 124 x 90 x 76mm
  • Announced March 2011
  • Older Model is Panasonic GH1
  • Renewed by Panasonic GH3
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Replaced the Pentax K-3
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Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Its time to examine more in depth at the Panasonic GH2 versus Pentax K-3 II, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the GH2 (16MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the GH2 (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The GH2 was announced 5 years before the K-3 II and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the GH2 matches up against the K-3 II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Pentax K-3 II

 GH2 K-3 II 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Panasonic GH2

 K-3 II GH2 
RevealedApril 2015March 2011More recent by 49 months
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GH2 and Pentax K-3 II

 GH2 K-3 II 
Focus manually Very precise focus

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you have to consider its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GH2 has got outer measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") and a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 II has proportions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic GH2 versus Pentax K-3 II in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are employing during that time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the GH2 vs the K-3 II.

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GH2 and K-3 II is 70 and 59 respectively.

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's tough to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements just by researching a spec sheet. The photograph underneath might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the GH2 and K-3 II.

As you can see, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The GH2 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Pentax K-3 II will provide you with extra detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots much more aggressively. The older GH2 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH2 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Portrait photography camera
70
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
79
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH2 Street photography details
Pentax K-3 II Street photography details
68
screen articulates fully
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
above average high ISO (51,200)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH2 Sports photography factors
Pentax K-3 II Sports photography factors
46
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery life (330 shots)
lack of phase detect autofocus
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
environment proof
supports phase detect AF
bad battery power (720 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH2 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-3 II Travel photography highlights
62
good megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
no Timelapse mode
not so great battery life (330 per charge)
56
environment proof
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
bad battery power (720 shots)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic GH2
Landscape photography with Pentax K-3 II
60
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery life (330 shots)
no Timelapse mode
78
manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3.2 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
no anti-alias filter
above average high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
two card slots
bad battery power (720 shots)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic GH2
Vlogging with Pentax K-3 II
71
selfie friendly display
touchscreen
has face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external microphone port
lack of image stabilization
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external mic socket
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH2 and Pentax K-3 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 Pentax K-3 II
Class Advanced Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Announced 2011-03-23 2015-04-23
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine FHD Prime III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 6016 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 12800 51200
Lowest native ISO 160 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 23 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3.2 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 8.3 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 15.60 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, 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 (available with dedicated external flash)
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (24, 30, 60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 442 grams (0.97 pounds) 800 grams (1.76 pounds)
Dimensions 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 60 80
DXO Color Depth rating 21.2 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.3 13.6
DXO Low light rating 655 1106
Other
Battery life 330 photos 720 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 2
Launch cost $1,000 $829