Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax K-5

Here is a thorough comparison of the Panasonic GH2 and Pentax K-5, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. The image resolution of the GH2 (16MP) and the K-5 (16MP) is relatively comparable but the GH2 (Four Thirds) and K-5 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The GH2 was unveiled 4 months later than the K-5 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the GH2 matches up against the K-5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 & Pentax K-5. The full galleries are available at Panasonic GH2 Gallery & Pentax K-5 Gallery.

If you are planning to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GH2 offers outer measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") with a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 has dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic GH2 and Pentax K-5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the GH2 against the K-5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GH2 and K-5 is 70 and 60 respectively.

More often than not, it is difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizing only by seeing specs. The visual here may offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the GH2 and K-5.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras have the same megapixel count albeit not the same sensor sizing. The GH2 includes the smaller sensor which should make getting shallow DOF trickier.