Panasonic GX85 vs Pentax 645D

On this page, we will be evaluating the Panasonic GX85 versus Pentax 645D, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the GX85 (16MP) and 645D (40MP) and the GX85 (Four Thirds) and 645D (Medium format) posses different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The GX85 was unveiled 6 years later than the 645D and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GX85 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax 645D being a Large SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the GX85 scores vs the 645D with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 & Pentax 645D. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic GX85 Gallery & Pentax 645D Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic GX85 comes with outside dimensions of 122mm x 71mm x 44mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Pentax 645D has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7") having a weight of 1480 grams (3.26 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic GX85 versus Pentax 645D in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the GX85 compared to the 645D.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the GX85 and 645D is 83 and 50 respectively.

Generally, it can be hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizing merely by checking out technical specs. The visual below should give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the GX85 and 645D.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The GX85 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Pentax 645D will show extra detail having an extra 24MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The fresher GX85 should have an advantage in sensor innovation.