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Panasonic GX85 vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
83
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Panasonic GX85 vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Panasonic GX85
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 426g - 122 x 71 x 44mm
  • Announced April 2016
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-GX80 / Lumix DMC-GX7 Mark II
Pentax ist DS2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 605g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Announced August 2005
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Panasonic GX85 vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

The following is a in-depth assessment of the Panasonic GX85 versus Pentax ist DS2, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the GX85 (16MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the GX85 (Four Thirds) and ist DS2 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The GX85 was introduced 10 years after the ist DS2 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GX85 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a brief view of how the GX85 matches up versus the ist DS2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic GX85 over the Pentax ist DS2

 GX85 ist DS2 
AnnouncedApril 2016August 2005Newer by 130 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1040k210kClearer display (+830k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Panasonic GX85

 ist DS2 GX85 

Common features in the Panasonic GX85 and Pentax ist DS2

 GX85 ist DS2 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Panasonic GX85 vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic GX85 comes with exterior dimensions of 122mm x 71mm x 44mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Pentax ist DS2 has sizing of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic GX85 versus Pentax ist DS2 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Following is a front view size comparison of the GX85 versus the ist DS2.

Panasonic GX85 vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GX85 and ist DS2 is 83 and 68 respectively.

Panasonic GX85 vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GX85 vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very difficult to see the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by going over technical specs. The picture underneath will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the GX85 and ist DS2.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The GX85 having a tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Panasonic GX85 will offer extra detail using its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The newer GX85 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic GX85 vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GX85 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GX85 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GX85 Portrait photography features
Pentax ist DS2 Portrait photography features
72
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
50
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
doesn't have liveview
resolution not great (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GX85 Street photography advice
Pentax ist DS2 Street photography advice
83
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
boasts focus via touch
good ISO range (25,600)
60
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (605 grams)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GX85 Sports photography advice
Pentax ist DS2 Sports photography advice
62
silent shooting (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
bad battery (290 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
38
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic GX85
Travel photography with Pentax ist DS2
68
boasts focus via touch
megapixel count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
bad battery (290 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
52
lighter than competitors in class (605 grams)
flash built-in
missing Timelapse recording
resolution not great (6MP)
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GX85 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax ist DS2 Landscape photography highlights
74
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
bad battery (290 shots)
46
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (6 megapixels)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GX85 Vlogging info
Pentax ist DS2 Vlogging info
35
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have mic jack
22
lighter than competitors in class (605 grams)
does not contain selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low res video ( pxls)
missing external microphone port
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Panasonic GX85 vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GX85 and Pentax ist DS2
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85Pentax ist DS2
General Information
Make Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 Pentax ist DS2
Also referred to as Lumix DMC-GX80 / Lumix DMC-GX7 Mark II -
Category Advanced Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Announced 2016-04-05 2005-08-22
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 6 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Max resolution 4592 x 3448 3008 x 2008
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 49 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Amount of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.5 inches
Resolution of display 1,040 thousand dot 210 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical
Viewfinder resolution 2,764 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Max quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 6.00 m (at ISO 200) -
Flash options Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, forced off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) -
Max video resolution 3840x2160 -
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 grams (0.94 lb) 605 grams (1.33 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 71 x 44mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.7") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 662 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 shots -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/MMC card
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $800 -