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Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-7

Portability
66
Imaging
52
Features
80
Overall
63
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 front
 
Pentax K-7 front
Portability
60
Imaging
54
Features
69
Overall
60

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-7 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
  • Succeeded the Panasonic GH2
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GH4
Pentax K-7
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 2000 (Expand to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 750g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Revealed October 2009
  • New Model is Pentax K-5
Photography Glossary

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-7 Overview

Here is a in depth review of the Panasonic GH3 and Pentax K-7, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the GH3 (16MP) and the K-7 (15MP) is fairly close but the GH3 (Four Thirds) and K-7 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor measurements.

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The GH3 was introduced 3 years later than the K-7 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-7 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short overview of how the GH3 matches up vs the K-7 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Pentax K-7

 GH3 K-7 
RevealedSeptember 2012October 2009Fresher by 37 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-7 over the Panasonic GH3

 K-7 GH3 
Display resolution921k614kCrisper display (+307k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GH3 and Pentax K-7

 GH3 K-7 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurements

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-7 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GH3 provides physical measurements 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 K-7 has dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 750 grams (1.65 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic GH3 and Pentax K-7 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that moment. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the GH3 and the K-7.

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-7 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the GH3 and K-7 is 66 and 60 respectively.

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-7 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-7 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's hard to envision the gap in sensor sizing merely by viewing specs. The graphic underneath will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the GH3 and K-7.

All in all, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The GH3 with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Panasonic GH3 will result in extra detail using its extra 1MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images far more aggressively. The more recent GH3 will have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-7 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH3 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-7 as a Portrait photography camera
71
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
exports RAW files
72
manual focus
good MP (15MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH3 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-7 as a Street photography camera
65
fully articulated screen
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
supports touch focus
weather proofing
lack of image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (550 grams)
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH3 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-7 as a Sports photography camera
63
fast continuous shooting (20.0 frames/s)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
weather proofing
good battery power (540 shots)
lack of image stabilization
has no phase detect auto focus
69
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (15MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
environment proofing
comes with phase detect auto focus
slow fps (5.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Travel photography information
Pentax K-7 Travel photography information
71
good battery power (540 shots)
weather proofing
supports touch focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
heavier than competition in class (550g)
64
environment proofing
good MP (15 megapixels)
built-in flash
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Landscape photography features
Pentax K-7 Landscape photography features
71
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
good battery power (540 shots)
lack of image stabilization
77
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (15 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic GH3
Vlogging with Pentax K-7
65
selfie friendly display
touch screen
features face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with mic jack
lack of image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (550g)
25
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focus
display isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone port
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Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax K-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH3 and Pentax K-7
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3Pentax K-7
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Pentax K-7
Type Advanced Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2012-09-17 2009-10-02
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine VII FHD Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 15 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4672 x 3104
Highest native ISO 12800 2000
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 23 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 614 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech OLED Monitor with static touch control TFT color LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 1,744 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.67x 0.61x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 20.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 13.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 secs 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 1536 x 1024 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone 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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 550g (1.21 lbs) 750g (1.65 lbs)
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 score 71 61
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 10.6
DXO Low light score 812 536
Other
Battery life 540 photos 980 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/MMC
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $799 $599