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Panasonic L1 vs Pentax E85

Portability
65
Imaging
41
Features
38
Overall
39
Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 front
 
Pentax Optio E85 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
10
Overall
25

Panasonic L1 vs Pentax E85 Key Specs

Panasonic L1
(Full Review)
  • 7MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 606g - 146 x 87 x 77mm
  • Launched April 2007
Pentax E85
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 32-96mm (F2.9-5.2) lens
  • 145g - 93 x 58 x 24mm
  • Launched September 2009
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Panasonic L1 vs Pentax E85 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Panasonic L1 versus Pentax E85, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the L1 (7MP) and E85 (12MP) and the L1 (Four Thirds) and E85 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizing.

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The L1 was revealed 3 years prior to the E85 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic L1 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax E85 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a simple overview of how the L1 scores versus the E85 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic L1 over the Pentax E85

 L1 E85 
Manually focus More precise focus

Reasons to pick Pentax E85 over the Panasonic L1

 E85 L1 
LaunchedSeptember 2009April 2007Newer by 29 months
Screen dimension2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution230k207kClearer screen (+23k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic L1 and Pentax E85

 L1 E85 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Panasonic L1 vs Pentax E85 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic L1 has physical measurements of 146mm x 87mm x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") along with a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs) whilst the Pentax E85 has measurements of 93mm x 58mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9") having a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic L1 versus Pentax E85 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the L1 versus the E85.

Panasonic L1 vs Pentax E85 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the L1 and E85 is 65 and 95 respectively.

Panasonic L1 vs Pentax E85 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic L1 vs Pentax E85 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be tough to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions only by checking a spec sheet. The image here will provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the L1 and E85.

Clearly, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The L1 using its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Pentax E85 will resolve extra detail because of its extra 5MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged L1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Panasonic L1 vs Pentax E85 sensor size comparison

Panasonic L1 vs Pentax E85 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic L1 vs Pentax E85 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic L1 Portrait photography factors
Pentax E85 Portrait photography factors
54
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low megapixels (7MP)
21
no manual focus
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic L1 as a Street photography camera
Pentax E85 as a Street photography camera
58
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition (606 grams)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
47
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic L1 Sports photography info
Pentax E85 Sports photography info
40
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (7MP)
17
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic L1
Travel photography with Pentax E85
50
lighter than competition (606 grams)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
low megapixels (7 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
51
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (32mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.9)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic L1 Landscape photography factors
Pentax E85 Landscape photography factors
47
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.5 inch)
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (7MP)
doesn't have Timelapse function
23
no manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (32mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.9)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic L1
Vlogging with Pentax E85
9
can't record video
22
wide angle not good (32mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.9)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 pxls)
doesn't have microphone socket
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Panasonic L1 vs Pentax E85 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic L1 and Pentax E85
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1Pentax Optio E85
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 Pentax Optio E85
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2007-04-11 2009-09-17
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 7 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3136 x 2352 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 32-96mm (3.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.9-5.2
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.5 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 207k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 2 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m 3.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Red-Eye Auto, On, Red-Eye On, Red-Eye Slow Sync, Off, Slow Sync (1&2) -
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 640x480
Video file format - 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 None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 606 gr (1.34 pounds) 145 gr (0.32 pounds)
Dimensions 146 x 87 x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") 93 x 58 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery model - D-LI95
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/MMC card SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $1,500 $0