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Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Portability
66
Imaging
52
Features
80
Overall
63
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 front
 
Pentax K-5 IIs front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
83
Overall
68

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-5 IIs 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
  • Released September 2012
  • Older Model is Panasonic GH2
  • Renewed by Panasonic GH4
Pentax K-5 IIs
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Announced June 2013
  • Succeeded the Pentax K-5
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Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Overview

Below is a detailed review of the Panasonic GH3 and Pentax K-5 IIs, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the GH3 (16MP) and the K-5 IIs (16MP) is very close but the GH3 (Four Thirds) and K-5 IIs (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The GH3 was released 8 months prior to the K-5 IIs so they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a simple view of how the GH3 scores against the K-5 IIs with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Pentax K-5 IIs

 GH3 K-5 IIs 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 IIs over the Panasonic GH3

 K-5 IIs GH3 
AnnouncedJune 2013September 2012More recent by 8 months
Display resolution921k614kSharper display (+307k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GH3 and Pentax K-5 IIs

 GH3 K-5 IIs 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera often, you will need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GH3 has got external measurements of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") along with a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 IIs has proportions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic GH3 and Pentax K-5 IIs in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use during that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the GH3 against the K-5 IIs.

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-5 IIs size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GH3 and K-5 IIs is 66 and 60 respectively.

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-5 IIs top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's tough to picture the difference in sensor measurements only by viewing specifications. The visual below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the GH3 and K-5 IIs.

To sum up, the 2 cameras posses the exact same megapixel count but different sensor measurements. The GH3 has got the smaller sensor which will make obtaining bokeh harder. The older GH3 will be behind in sensor technology.

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-5 IIs sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Portrait photography info
Pentax K-5 IIs Portrait photography info
71
manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
74
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic GH3
Street photography with Pentax K-5 IIs
65
fully articulated screen
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features touch focus
environment sealing
no image stabilization
more heavy than average (550g)
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH3 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-5 IIs as a Sports photography camera
63
high frames per second (20.0 fps)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
environment sealing
great battery life (540 CIPA)
no image stabilization
no phase detect autofocus
79
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Travel photography features
Pentax K-5 IIs Travel photography features
71
great battery life (540 shots)
environment sealing
features touch focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
more heavy than average (550 grams)
65
environment proofing
good megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Landscape photography factors
Pentax K-5 IIs Landscape photography factors
71
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
great battery life (540 CIPA)
no image stabilization
79
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
no anti aliasing filter
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Vlogging features
Pentax K-5 IIs Vlogging features
65
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
supports face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external microphone support
no image stabilization
more heavy than average (550 grams)
33
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes microphone support
display is not selfie friendly
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Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH3 and Pentax K-5 IIs
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3Pentax K-5 IIs
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Pentax K-5 IIs
Category Advanced Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Released 2012-09-17 2013-06-04
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine VII FHD Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Maximum enhanced ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 23 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 614k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech OLED Monitor with static touch control TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 1,744k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.67x 0.61x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 20.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 550 gr (1.21 lb) 760 gr (1.68 lb)
Dimensions 133 x 93 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 71 82
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 23.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 14.1
DXO Low light rating 812 1208
Other
Battery life 540 pictures 980 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Retail cost $799 $749