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Panasonic GX1 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
87
Imaging
52
Features
54
Overall
52
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Panasonic GX1 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Panasonic GX1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 318g - 116 x 68 x 39mm
  • Announced February 2012
  • Newer Model is Panasonic GX7
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Launched June 2013
  • Succeeded the Pentax K-5
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Panasonic GX1 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Panasonic GX1 versus Pentax K-5 II, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the GX1 (16MP) and the K-5 II (16MP) is very similar but the GX1 (Four Thirds) and K-5 II (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The GX1 was brought out 15 months before the K-5 II making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GX1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a concise summation of how the GX1 scores versus the K-5 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GX1 over the Pentax K-5 II

 GX1 K-5 II 
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Panasonic GX1

 K-5 II GX1 
LaunchedJune 2013February 2012More modern by 15 months
Display resolution921k460kSharper display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GX1 and Pentax K-5 II

 GX1 K-5 II 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Panasonic GX1 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GX1 provides exterior dimensions of 116mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 318 grams (0.70 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 II has dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Check the Panasonic GX1 versus Pentax K-5 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the GX1 vs the K-5 II.

Panasonic GX1 vs Pentax K-5 II size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the GX1 and K-5 II is 87 and 60 respectively.

Panasonic GX1 vs Pentax K-5 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GX1 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to imagine the difference between sensor sizes simply by going over technical specs. The picture here should provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the GX1 and K-5 II.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have got the exact same MP but different sensor sizes. The GX1 has got the tinier sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow depth of field more challenging. The more aged GX1 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Panasonic GX1 vs Pentax K-5 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic GX1 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GX1 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GX1 Portrait photography information
Pentax K-5 II Portrait photography information
71
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
74
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic GX1
Street photography with Pentax K-5 II
70
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
supports touch to focus
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GX1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Sports photography camera
47
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery life (300 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
79
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
supports phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GX1 Travel photography advice
Pentax K-5 II Travel photography advice
65
supports touch to focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse function
not so great battery life (300 per charge)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
65
weather proofing
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GX1 Landscape photography info
Pentax K-5 II Landscape photography info
62
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery life (300 shots)
missing Timelapse function
79
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GX1 Vlogging features
Pentax K-5 II Vlogging features
32
touchscreen capability
provides face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
missing external microphone support
33
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external microphone socket
screen is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Panasonic GX1 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GX1 and Pentax K-5 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 Pentax K-5 II
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Announced 2012-02-14 2013-06-04
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine 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 surface area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4592 x 3448 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Max boosted ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 160 100
RAW photos
Lowest boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 23 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 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 7.60 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 318 grams (0.70 lb) 760 grams (1.68 lb)
Dimensions 116 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 82
DXO Color Depth rating 20.8 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.6 14.1
DXO Low light rating 703 1235
Other
Battery life 300 photos 980 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $228 $830