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Panasonic GM1 vs Pentax S1

Portability
93
Imaging
53
Features
60
Overall
55
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 front
 
Pentax Optio S1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Panasonic GM1 vs Pentax S1 Key Specs

Panasonic GM1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 204g - 99 x 55 x 30mm
  • Released December 2013
  • Renewed by Panasonic GM5
Pentax S1
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Released March 2011
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Panasonic GM1 vs Pentax S1 Overview

Below, we are reviewing the Panasonic GM1 versus Pentax S1, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the GM1 (16MP) and the S1 (14MP) is very well matched but the GM1 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") come with different sensor size.

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The GM1 was brought out 2 years after the S1 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a thorough comparison, below is a short highlight of how the GM1 scores versus the S1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GM1 over the Pentax S1

 GM1 S1 
ReleasedDecember 2013March 2011More modern by 35 months
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1036k230kCrisper display (+806k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax S1 over the Panasonic GM1

 S1 GM1 

Common features in the Panasonic GM1 and Pentax S1

 GM1 S1 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Panasonic GM1 vs Pentax S1 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GM1 features outside dimensions of 99mm x 55mm x 30mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") along with a weight of 204 grams (0.45 lbs) whilst the Pentax S1 has dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic GM1 versus Pentax S1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the GM1 vs the S1.

Panasonic GM1 vs Pentax S1 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GM1 and S1 is 93 and 93 respectively.

Panasonic GM1 vs Pentax S1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GM1 vs Pentax S1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizes only by reading through a spec sheet. The picture underneath might give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the GM1 and S1.

Clearly, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The GM1 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic GM1 will give you extra detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The newer GM1 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic GM1 vs Pentax S1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GM1 vs Pentax S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GM1 vs Pentax S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GM1 Portrait photography factors
Pentax S1 Portrait photography factors
65
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
no external flash support
35
manual focus
MP count decent (14MP)
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic GM1
Street photography with Pentax S1
77
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
features touch focus
lighter than competitors in class (204 grams)
above average ISO range (25,600)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
56
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GM1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax S1 as a Sports photography camera
48
silent mode (1/16,000 seconds)
decent megapixels (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/500 seconds)
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low battery pack (230 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
39
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic GM1
Travel photography with Pentax S1
74
lighter than competitors in class (204 grams)
features touch focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
low battery pack (230 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
64
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic GM1
Landscape photography with Pentax S1
69
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
low battery pack (230 shots)
42
manual focus
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (14MP)
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7")
lack of manual mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic GM1
Vlogging with Pentax S1
35
touchscreen functionality
has face detect autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors in class (204 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
no mic socket
28
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone jack
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Panasonic GM1 vs Pentax S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GM1 and Pentax S1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1Pentax Optio S1
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 Pentax Optio S1
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2013-12-19 2011-03-02
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3448 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 1,036 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/500s 1/1500s
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter speed 5.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.00 m 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/50s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 24p), 1280 x 720p (60p, 50p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 204 grams (0.45 lb) 157 grams (0.35 lb)
Dimensions 99 x 55 x 30mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 66 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.3 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.7 not tested
DXO Low light score 660 not tested
Other
Battery life 230 images 260 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI92
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/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at release $750 $174