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Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1

Portability
70
Imaging
51
Features
65
Overall
56
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 front
 
Pentax MX-1 front
Portability
84
Imaging
37
Features
60
Overall
46

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1 Key Specs

Panasonic GH2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 442g - 124 x 90 x 76mm
  • Introduced March 2011
  • Old Model is Panasonic GH1
  • Renewed by Panasonic GH3
Pentax MX-1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
  • Revealed July 2013
Photography Glossary

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1 Overview

Here is a in depth comparison of the Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the GH2 (16MP) and MX-1 (12MP) and the GH2 (Four Thirds) and MX-1 (1/1.7") boast totally different sensor size.

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The GH2 was released 3 years prior to the MX-1 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax MX-1 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a thorough comparison, here is a concise view of how the GH2 grades against the MX-1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Pentax MX-1

 GH2 MX-1 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Panasonic GH2

 MX-1 GH2 
RevealedJuly 2013March 2011Fresher by 27 months
Display resolution920k460kClearer display (+460k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GH2 and Pentax MX-1

 GH2 MX-1 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Display size3"3"Same display size

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry your camera, you need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GH2 offers exterior measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs) and the Pentax MX-1 has proportions of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") along with a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the GH2 vs the MX-1.

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GH2 and MX-1 is 70 and 84 respectively.

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its hard to envision the difference in sensor sizing merely by going through specs. The photograph underneath should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the GH2 and MX-1.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The GH2 featuring a larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic GH2 will show greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics way more aggressively. The older GH2 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH2 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax MX-1 Portrait photography highlights
70
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
42
focusing manually
provides face detect focus
supports RAW files
can't use external flash
resolution not great (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH2 Street photography highlights
Pentax MX-1 Street photography highlights
68
screen articulates fully
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no image stabilization
65
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
more heavy than average in class (391g)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH2 Sports photography information
Pentax MX-1 Sports photography information
46
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
bad battery (330 CIPA)
does not have phase detect autofocus
43
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking focus
better than average battery pack (290 CIPA)
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic GH2
Travel photography with Pentax MX-1
62
megapixel count good (16MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
no Timelapse recording
bad battery (330 shots)
61
better than average battery pack (290 shots)
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
does not have Timelapse mode
more heavy than average in class (391g)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH2 Landscape photography information
Pentax MX-1 Landscape photography information
60
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no image stabilization
bad battery (330 shots)
no Timelapse recording
55
focusing manually
fairly wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
better than average battery pack (290 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
resolution not great (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic GH2
Vlogging with Pentax MX-1
71
selfie friendly screen
screen is touchscreen
includes face detect autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone jack
no image stabilization
33
fairly wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone port
more heavy than average in class (391g)
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Panasonic GH2 vs Pentax MX-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH2 and Pentax MX-1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2Pentax MX-1
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 Pentax MX-1
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-03-23 2013-07-01
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine FHD -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Lowest native ISO 160 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 23 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.8-2.5
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 4.8
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 15.60 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported 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 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 442g (0.97 lb) 391g (0.86 lb)
Physical dimensions 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 60 49
DXO Color Depth score 21.2 20.4
DXO Dynamic range score 11.3 11.3
DXO Low light score 655 208
Other
Battery life 330 photos 290 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-Li-106
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Pricing at release $1,000 $400