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Panasonic GH5 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
59
Imaging
60
Features
89
Overall
71
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Panasonic GH5 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Panasonic GH5
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 725g - 139 x 98 x 87mm
  • Introduced January 2017
  • Superseded the Panasonic GH4
  • Replacement is Panasonic GH5 II
Pentax K-500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Revealed November 2013
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Panasonic GH5 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Panasonic GH5 and Pentax K-500, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the GH5 (20MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the GH5 (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The GH5 was announced 3 years later than the K-500 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GH5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the GH5 matches up against the K-500 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH5 over the Pentax K-500

 GH5 K-500 
RevealedJanuary 2017November 2013More recent by 38 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1620k921kSharper screen (+699k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Panasonic GH5

 K-500 GH5 

Common features in the Panasonic GH5 and Pentax K-500

 GH5 K-500 
Focus manually Very exact focus

Panasonic GH5 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to lug around your camera, you should factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GH5 offers external measurements of 139mm x 98mm x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 725 grams (1.60 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-500 has dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic GH5 and Pentax K-500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using during that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the GH5 against the K-500.

Panasonic GH5 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GH5 and K-500 is 59 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic GH5 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH5 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is tough to visualise the difference in sensor measurements purely by viewing specs. The visual below may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the GH5 and K-500.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The GH5 with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Panasonic GH5 will provide you with extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The younger GH5 will have a benefit in sensor tech.

Panasonic GH5 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH5 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH5 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH5 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Portrait photography camera
76
you can focus manually
good megapixels (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
74
you can focus manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH5 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Street photography camera
74
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
supports touch to focus
environment proofing
great ISO range (25,600)
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
above average high ISO (51,600)
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic GH5
Sports photography with Pentax K-500
68
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
environment proofing
low battery pack (410 per charge)
no phase detect autofocus
72
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
good battery power (710 CIPA)
comes with phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic GH5
Travel photography with Pentax K-500
68
environment proofing
connects via bluetooth
supports touch to focus
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
low battery pack (410 CIPA)
67
good battery power (710 per charge)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH5 Landscape photography info
Pentax K-500 Landscape photography info
75
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3.2 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
no anti-alias filter
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
environment proofing
2 card slots
low battery pack (410 shots)
79
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
above average high ISO (51,600)
exports RAW files
good battery power (710 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH5 Vlogging features
Pentax K-500 Vlogging features
75
selfie friendly screen
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect autofocus
high quality video (4096 x 2160 resolution)
comes with mic support
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
does not have external mic socket
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Panasonic GH5 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH5 and Pentax K-500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5Pentax K-500
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 Pentax K-500
Type Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2017-01-04 2013-11-27
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine PRIME M
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 5184 x 3888 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 25600 51600
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 225 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3.2 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,620k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 3,680k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.76x 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting rate 12.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, Auto/Redeye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On w/Redeye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync w/Redeye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 (24p), 3840 x 2160 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Max video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 725 grams (1.60 lb) 646 grams (1.42 lb)
Physical dimensions 139 x 98 x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 77 79
DXO Color Depth score 23.9 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score 13.0 13.1
DXO Low light score 807 1087
Other
Battery life 410 images 710 images
Form of battery Battery Pack AA
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs; 10 secs w/3 shots) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 2 One
Launch pricing $1,298 $600