Clicky

Panasonic GX850 vs Pentax K-30

Portability
90
Imaging
55
Features
70
Overall
61
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 front
 
Pentax K-30 front
Portability
63
Imaging
57
Features
66
Overall
60

Panasonic GX850 vs Pentax K-30 Key Specs

Panasonic GX850
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 269g - 107 x 65 x 33mm
  • Released January 2017
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-GX800 / Lumix DMC-GF9
Pentax K-30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 650g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Launched October 2012
  • Later Model is Pentax K-50
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Panasonic GX850 vs Pentax K-30 Overview

Below, we will be evaluating the Panasonic GX850 versus Pentax K-30, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the GX850 (16MP) and the K-30 (16MP) is pretty similar but the GX850 (Four Thirds) and K-30 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The GX850 was revealed 4 years later than the K-30 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GX850 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving through a thorough comparison, below is a quick overview of how the GX850 scores vs the K-30 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic GX850 over the Pentax K-30

 GX850 K-30 
LaunchedJanuary 2017October 2012More recent by 51 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1040k921kCrisper screen (+119k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-30 over the Panasonic GX850

 K-30 GX850 

Common features in the Panasonic GX850 and Pentax K-30

 GX850 K-30 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing

Panasonic GX850 vs Pentax K-30 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic GX850 provides outer dimensions of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Pentax K-30 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

See the Panasonic GX850 versus Pentax K-30 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are working with at that time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the GX850 compared to the K-30.

Panasonic GX850 vs Pentax K-30 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GX850 and K-30 is 90 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic GX850 vs Pentax K-30 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GX850 vs Pentax K-30 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements merely by going over technical specs. The photograph underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the GX850 and K-30.

As you have seen, both cameras posses the exact same megapixel count albeit different sensor measurements. The GX850 contains the tinier sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow DOF tougher. The fresher GX850 should have a benefit in sensor technology.

Panasonic GX850 vs Pentax K-30 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GX850 vs Pentax K-30 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GX850 vs Pentax K-30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GX850 Portrait photography information
Pentax K-30 Portrait photography information
66
you can focus manually
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
cannot use external flash
74
manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic GX850
Street photography with Pentax K-30
80
has a tilting screen
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
has touch focus
above average high ISO (25,600)
no image stabilization
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
no articulating screen
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Panasonic GX850 Sports photography advice
Pentax K-30 Sports photography advice
52
silent shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
low max shutter speed (1/500 seconds)
no image stabilization
low battery (210 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
67
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
weather sealing
comes with phase detect AF
max fps very slow (6.0 frames/s)
terrible battery life (410 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Panasonic GX850 Travel photography details
Pentax K-30 Travel photography details
79
has touch focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
low battery (210 shots)
60
weather sealing
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
terrible battery life (410 shots)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GX850 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax K-30 Landscape photography highlights
71
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
no anti-alias filter
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
no image stabilization
low battery (210 shots)
73
manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
terrible battery life (410 shots)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GX850 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-30 as a Vlogging camera
73
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
comes with face detection focusing
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
no image stabilization
no external mic socket
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone socket
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Panasonic GX850 vs Pentax K-30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GX850 and Pentax K-30
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850Pentax K-30
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 Pentax K-30
Also called Lumix DMC-GX800 / Lumix DMC-GF9 -
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Released 2017-01-04 2012-10-29
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine Prime M
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 aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Max resolution 4592 x 3448 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
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
Number of focus points 49 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,040 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/500 secs 1/6000 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, on, on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-eye,Slow Sync, Slow Sync+ Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital1920 x 1080 @ 60i / 17 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 20 Mbps, MP4, H.264 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 269 grams (0.59 lb) 650 grams (1.43 lb)
Dimensions 107 x 65 x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 79
DXO Color Depth score 23.2 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score 13.3 13.0
DXO Low light score 586 1129
Other
Battery life 210 photos 410 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI109,4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2, 10 sec, 3 images/10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type microSD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $548 $525