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Panasonic LF1 vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
55
Overall
44
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Panasonic LF1 vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Panasonic LF1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400 (Push to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-200mm (F2.0-5.9) lens
  • 192g - 103 x 62 x 28mm
  • Announced November 2013
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
  • Introduced August 2005
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Panasonic LF1 vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

Here is a in-depth review of the Panasonic LF1 and Pentax ist DS2, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the LF1 (12MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the LF1 (1/1.7") and ist DS2 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The LF1 was revealed 8 years later than the ist DS2 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic LF1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief summation of how the LF1 scores vs the ist DS2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic LF1 over the Pentax ist DS2

 LF1 ist DS2 
IntroducedNovember 2013August 2005Fresher by 101 months
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution920k210kCrisper display (+710k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Panasonic LF1

 ist DS2 LF1 

Common features in the Panasonic LF1 and Pentax ist DS2

 LF1 ist DS2 
Manual focus More precise focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Panasonic LF1 vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry your camera frequently, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic LF1 comes with outer measurements of 103mm x 62mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs) while the Pentax ist DS2 has measurements of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic LF1 and Pentax ist DS2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the LF1 compared to the ist DS2.

Panasonic LF1 vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the LF1 and ist DS2 is 92 and 68 respectively.

Panasonic LF1 vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic LF1 vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its hard to envision the gap between sensor sizing purely by looking at specs. The graphic underneath might give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the LF1 and ist DS2.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The LF1 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Panasonic LF1 will give greater detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics far more aggressively. The newer LF1 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic LF1 vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Panasonic LF1 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic LF1 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic LF1
Portrait photography with Pentax ist DS2
42
has manual focus
offers face detect focusing
supports RAW files
can't use external flash
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/1.7")
50
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no liveview feature
low resolution (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic LF1
Street photography with Pentax ist DS2
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
fixed screen
tiny sensor (1/1.7")
60
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lighter than competition (605 grams)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic LF1 Sports photography factors
Pentax ist DS2 Sports photography factors
38
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers tracking focus
low resolution sensor (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/1.7")
doesn't have phase detect AF
38
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic LF1 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Travel photography camera
64
built-in flash
rather wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
no Time Lapse mode
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
52
lighter than competition (605 grams)
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
low resolution (6MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic LF1 Landscape photography info
Pentax ist DS2 Landscape photography info
54
has manual focus
rather wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/1.7")
no Time Lapse mode
46
has manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
small screen (2.5 inches)
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (6 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic LF1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Vlogging camera
36
rather wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
no mic socket
22
lighter than competition (605 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great ( pxls)
lack of microphone socket
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Panasonic LF1 vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic LF1 and Pentax ist DS2
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1Pentax ist DS2
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 Pentax ist DS2
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Announced 2013-11-26 2005-08-22
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" APS-C
Sensor measurements 7.44 x 5.58mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 6MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 3008 x 2008
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Maximum boosted ISO 12800 -
Min native ISO 80 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 23 11
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax KAF
Lens focal range 28-200mm (7.1x) -
Max aperture f/2.0-5.9 -
Macro focus range 3cm -
Total lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 4.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.5 inch
Display resolution 920k dots 210k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.00 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 -
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD -
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 192 gr (0.42 pounds) 605 gr (1.33 pounds)
Dimensions 103 x 62 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.1") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 211 not tested
Other
Battery life 250 photographs -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/MMC card
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $500 -