Clicky

Panasonic GX8 vs Pentax K-S1

Portability
74
Imaging
59
Features
84
Overall
69
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 front
 
Pentax K-S1 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
70
Overall
65

Panasonic GX8 vs Pentax K-S1 Key Specs

Panasonic GX8
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 487g - 133 x 78 x 63mm
  • Announced July 2015
  • Older Model is Panasonic GX7
Pentax K-S1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 558g - 121 x 93 x 70mm
  • Revealed August 2014
  • Later Model is Pentax K-S2
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Panasonic GX8 vs Pentax K-S1 Overview

On this page, we are contrasting the Panasonic GX8 and Pentax K-S1, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the GX8 (20MP) and the K-S1 (20MP) is very close but the GX8 (Four Thirds) and K-S1 (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizes.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The GX8 was announced 11 months after the K-S1 which means that they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GX8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-S1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving into a detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the GX8 scores vs the K-S1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic GX8 over the Pentax K-S1

 GX8 K-S1 
RevealedJuly 2015August 2014More modern by 11 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1040k921kCrisper display (+119k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-S1 over the Panasonic GX8

 K-S1 GX8 

Common features in the Panasonic GX8 and Pentax K-S1

 GX8 K-S1 
Manually focus More precise focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions

Panasonic GX8 vs Pentax K-S1 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry around your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Panasonic GX8 has got outer dimensions of 133mm x 78mm x 63mm (5.2" x 3.1" x 2.5") along with a weight of 487 grams (1.07 lbs) and the Pentax K-S1 has specifications of 121mm x 93mm x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 558 grams (1.23 lbs).

Check the Panasonic GX8 and Pentax K-S1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at the time. Here is a front view size comparison of the GX8 and the K-S1.

Panasonic GX8 vs Pentax K-S1 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GX8 and K-S1 is 74 and 69 respectively.

Panasonic GX8 vs Pentax K-S1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GX8 vs Pentax K-S1 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizes merely by looking through technical specs. The pic below will offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the GX8 and K-S1.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have the same megapixel count but not the same sensor sizes. The GX8 has got the smaller sensor which will make getting shallower depth of field more challenging. The fresher GX8 will have an advantage in sensor tech.

Panasonic GX8 vs Pentax K-S1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GX8 vs Pentax K-S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GX8 vs Pentax K-S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic GX8
Portrait photography with Pentax K-S1
75
focusing manually
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
exports RAW formats
77
manual focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Panasonic GX8 Street photography info
Pentax K-S1 Street photography info
80
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
provides focus by touch
weather sealing
good ISO range (25,600)
73
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
lighter than average in class (558 grams)
good ISO range (51,200)
screen does not articulate
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Panasonic GX8 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-S1 as a Sports photography camera
68
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
weather sealing
not so great battery power (330 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
69
high shutter speed (1/6,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
has phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.4 frames/s)
not so great battery (410 per charge)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Travel Comparison

Panasonic GX8 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-S1 Travel photography highlights
73
weather sealing
provides focus by touch
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
not so great battery power (330 per charge)
60
lighter than average in class (558 grams)
resolution is good (20MP)
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse recording
not so great battery (410 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic GX8
Landscape photography with Pentax K-S1
76
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
not so great battery power (330 per charge)
73
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
no low pass filter
good ISO range (51,200)
saves RAW formats
not so great battery (410 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GX8 Vlogging advice
Pentax K-S1 Vlogging advice
81
screen is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
does have mic jack
33
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than average in class (558g)
display is not selfie friendly
missing external mic jack
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Panasonic GX8 vs Pentax K-S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GX8 and Pentax K-S1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8Pentax K-S1
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 Pentax K-S1
Category Advanced Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Announced 2015-07-16 2014-08-27
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine Prime MII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 25600 51200
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 49 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Amount of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,040k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.77x 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 12.0fps 5.4fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, forced off Auto, auto + redeye, on, on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 487 grams (1.07 lb) 558 grams (1.23 lb)
Physical dimensions 133 x 78 x 63mm (5.2" x 3.1" x 2.5") 121 x 93 x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 75 78
DXO Color Depth rating 23.5 23.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.6 13.0
DXO Low light rating 806 1061
Other
Battery life 330 images 410 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI109
Self timer Yes Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $898 $339