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Panasonic G9 vs Pentax K-01 Comparison

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Panasonic G9

20 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Panasonic G9
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Pentax K-01

16 MP | APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) CMOS Sensor

Pentax K-01
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Panasonic G9 vs Pentax K-01 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing G9 and K-01, two Mirrorless cameras from Panasonic and Pentax. Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 is a Pro Mirrorless class camera and Pentax K-01 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless class camera.

Panasonic G9 was introduced to market in November 2017 and Pentax K-01 was launched in May 2012. As you can see, K-01 is 5 years older than G9. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic G9 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-11-08
  • 20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 200 - 25600 ( expands to 100)
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 3680k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 20.0fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 658g. 137 x 97 x 92 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Pentax K-01 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-05-30
  • 16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12800 ( expands to 25600)
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • 6.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 561g. 122 x 79 x 58 mm

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 over Pentax K-01
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder
Electronic vs None Better framing and control
Sensor Resolution
20 MP vs 16 MP 25% more pixels
Max ISO
25.600 vs 12.800 100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
225 vs 81 144 more focus points
LCD Resolution
1.040k dots vs 921k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
20.0fps vs 6.0fps 14 fps faster
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD
Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
Selfie & Vlogger LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode
Yes (80.0MP) vs No Increased resolution with pixel shift
4K Photo Mode
Yes vs No Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
6K Photo Mode
Yes vs No Extract 18MP photos from Video footage
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Focus Bracketing
Yes vs No Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking
Yes vs No Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Post Focus Mode
Yes vs No Change focus point after taking a shot
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs none Read/Write in High Speeds
Webcam Function
Yes vs No Use your camera as a Webcam
CHECK G9 PRICE


Reasons to choose Pentax K-01 over Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Battery Life
540 shots vs 400 shots 140 more frames with a single charge
Weight
561 g vs 658 g 97 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area
23.14µm2 vs 11.16µm2 107% larger pixel area
CHECK K-01 PRICE

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Pentax K-01
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Continuous Shooting
20.0fps vs 6.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs Yes creative shooting
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs Yes Connect off-camera flash
Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Pentax K-01
New4
Panasonic G9 vs Pentax K-01: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic G9 has external dimensions of 137 x 97 x 92 mm (5.39 x 3.82 x 3.62″) and weighs 658 g (1.45 lb / 23.21 oz) (including batteries). Pentax K-01 has external dimensions of 122 x 79 x 58 mm (4.8 x 3.11 x 2.28″) and weighs 561 g (1.24 lb / 19.79 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01. Pentax K-01 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 15mm narrower, 18mm shorter and 34mm thinner than Panasonic G9.

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax K-01 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01.

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax K-01 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01.
Panasonic G9 vs Pentax K-01 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Pentax K-01 is significantly lighter (97g ) than the Panasonic G9 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Pentax K-01 has an APS-C sized sensor and Panasonic G9 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Panasonic G9's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Pentax K-01 lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

G9
K-01
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

G9
K-01
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that G9 has a big advantage over K-01 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Panasonic G9 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Pentax K-01's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to G9.
Panasonic G9 vs Pentax K-01: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic G9 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Pentax K-01 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Another difference between these two cameras is that Panasonic G9's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the G9 and K-01 sensor size comparison.

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax K-01 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01 Cameras


As seen above, Pentax K-01 has a 1.7x Larger sensor area than Panasonic G9. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax K-01 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Pentax K-01 has an advantage over Panasonic G9 There are 161 lenses for Pentax K-01's Pentax KAF2 mount, on the other hand there are only 119 lenses for Panasonic G9's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Both Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01 has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies. G9's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 6.5-stops according to CIPA standards.

Lens Type # of Panasonic G9 Lenses # of Pentax K-01 Lenses
Standard Zoom 17 23
Standard Prime 15 23
Wideangle Zoom 6 12
Wideangle Prime 32 26
Telephoto Zoom 19 21
Telephoto Prime 11 15
SuperZoom 8 15
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 5 3
Macro Prime 4 14
Perspective Control Prime n/a 8
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 n/a
TOTAL 119 161


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Panasonic 12-35mm F2.8 OIS Lens Panasonic 12-35mm F2.8 OIS
24 - 70mm 305gr 963gr 74mm Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax smc 16-50mm F2.8 ED Lens Pentax smc 16-50mm F2.8 ED
24 - 75mm 565gr 1126gr 99mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS Lens Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS
70 - 200mm 357gr 1015gr 100mm Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax DA 50-135mm F2.8 ED Lens Pentax DA 50-135mm F2.8 ED
75 - 202.5mm 685gr 1246gr 136mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Panasonic 25mm F1.4 II ASPH Lens Panasonic 25mm F1.4 II ASPH
50mm 205gr 863gr 55mm Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax FA 31mm F1.8 L Lens Pentax FA 31mm F1.8 L
31mm 345gr 906gr 69mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Panasonic 8-18mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Lens Panasonic 8-18mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH
16 - 36mm 315gr 973gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax 12-24mm F4.0 ED AL Lens Pentax 12-24mm F4.0 ED AL
18 - 36mm 430gr 991gr 84mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS Lens Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS
24 - 120mm 320gr 978gr 86mm Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax 17-70mm F4.0 AL SDM Lens Pentax 17-70mm F4.0 AL SDM
25.5 - 105mm 485gr 1046gr 94mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Panasonic 100-400mm F4.0-6.3 Lens Panasonic 100-400mm F4.0-6.3
200 - 800mm 985gr 1643gr 172mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG HSM Lens Sigma 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG HSM
120 - 400mm 1640gr 2201gr 203mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Panasonic G9 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Pentax K-01 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Pentax K-01 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Medium sized Body
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Pentax K-01 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 20.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
225 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
81 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 540 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Pentax K-01 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
658g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
561g
Body Thickness 58mm
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax K-01 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax K-01: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-01 scores compare:

Panasonic G9
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #50 out of 102 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #70 out of 1244 in all Cameras
Pentax K-01
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #82 out of 102 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #210 out of 1244 in all Cameras

Panasonic G9 has a higher Overall Score than the Pentax K-01 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Panasonic G9
Panasonic G9
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Pentax K-01
Pentax K-01
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Pentax K-01 vs Panasonic G9 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 Pentax K-01
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Announced 2017-11-08 2012-05-30
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Four Thirds APS-C
Dimensions 17.3 x 13 mm 23.7 x 15.7 mm
Area 224.90mm2 372.09mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 5184 x 3888 4928 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 200 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 100 ISO -
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 225 81
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of Available Lenses 119 161
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Fixed type
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 1,040k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder Resolution 3,680k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.83x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter 1/32000s n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 20.0 fps 6.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 658g 561g
Dimensions 137 x 97 x 92mm 122 x 79 x 58mm
Battery Life 400 shots 540 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 79
DxO Color Depth not tested 23.7
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.9
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1135
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