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Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax 645D

Portability
66
Imaging
52
Features
80
Overall
63
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 front
 
Pentax 645D front
Portability
50
Imaging
76
Features
52
Overall
66

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax 645D Key Specs

Panasonic GH3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 550g - 133 x 93 x 82mm
  • Revealed September 2012
  • Replaced the Panasonic GH2
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GH4
Pentax 645D
(Full Review)
  • 40MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 1600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • No Video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1480g - 156 x 117 x 119mm
  • Revealed March 2010
  • Renewed by Pentax 645Z
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Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax 645D Overview

Following is a thorough review of the Panasonic GH3 versus Pentax 645D, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Pro DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the GH3 (16MP) and 645D (40MP) and the GH3 (Four Thirds) and 645D (Medium format) use totally different sensor measurements.

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The GH3 was released 2 years after the 645D which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax 645D being a Large SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a short highlight of how the GH3 matches up versus the 645D in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Pentax 645D

 GH3 645D 
RevealedSeptember 2012March 2010More modern by 31 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax 645D over the Panasonic GH3

 645D GH3 
Display resolution921k614kSharper display (+307k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GH3 and Pentax 645D

 GH3 645D 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurements

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax 645D Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GH3 provides outer dimensions of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") and a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs) and the Pentax 645D has proportions of 156mm x 117mm x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7") accompanied by a weight of 1480 grams (3.26 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic GH3 versus Pentax 645D in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the GH3 versus the 645D.

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax 645D size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the GH3 and 645D is 66 and 50 respectively.

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax 645D top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax 645D Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is hard to envision the gap in sensor sizes merely by researching specs. The pic underneath might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the GH3 and 645D.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The GH3 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax 645D will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 24 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a little more aggressively. The newer GH3 is going to have an edge in sensor tech.

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax 645D sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax 645D Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax 645D Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Portrait photography info
Pentax 645D Portrait photography info
71
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
77
manual focus
high resolution (40 megapixels)
big sensor size (Medium format)
exports RAW formats
does not have liveview
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH3 as a Street photography camera
Pentax 645D as a Street photography camera
65
screen can move to multiple angles
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
includes touch to focus
weather proof
lack of image stabilization
heavier than others in class (550 grams)
58
big sensor size (Medium format)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Sports photography highlights
Pentax 645D Sports photography highlights
63
max fps high (20.0 fps)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
weather proof
great battery (540 shots)
lack of image stabilization
lacks phase detect autofocus
63
high resolution (40MP)
big sensor size (Medium format)
weather proof
has phase detect AF
does not have liveview
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
not so great battery power (800 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Travel photography info
Pentax 645D Travel photography info
71
great battery (540 CIPA)
weather proof
includes touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
heavier than others in class (550 grams)
55
weather proof
high resolution (40MP)
not so great battery power (800 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Landscape photography advice
Pentax 645D Landscape photography advice
71
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
weather proof
great battery (540 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
72
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
screen size is good (3")
high resolution (40MP)
big sensor size (Medium format)
does not have anti-alias filter
exports RAW formats
weather proof
has double storage slots
does not have liveview
no image stabilization
not so great battery power (800 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Vlogging info
Pentax 645D Vlogging info
65
selfie friendly display
has touchscreen
includes face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has mic jack
lack of image stabilization
heavier than others in class (550g)
9
lack of video recording
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Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax 645D Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH3 and Pentax 645D
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3Pentax 645D
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Pentax 645D
Type Advanced Mirrorless Pro DSLR
Revealed 2012-09-17 2010-03-10
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine VII FHD Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 40MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 7264 x 5440
Highest native ISO 12800 1600
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 23 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Available lenses 107 6
Crop factor 2.1 0.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 614 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology OLED Monitor with static touch control TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle and with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 1,744 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 98%
Viewfinder magnification 0.67x 0.85x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 20.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160s 1/125s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 550g (1.21 lb) 1480g (3.26 lb)
Dimensions 133 x 93 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") 156 x 117 x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 71 82
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 24.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 12.6
DXO Low light rating 812 1262
Other
Battery life 540 shots 800 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC
Storage slots 1 Two
Retail pricing $799 $4,000