Panasonic GH1 has a
12.0MP Four Thirds (18.89 x 14.48 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine HD processor. On the other hand, Pentax K200D has a
10.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CCD sensor .
Below you can see the GH1 and K200D sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic GH1 and Pentax K200D Cameras
As seen above, Pentax K200D has a 1.3x Larger sensor area than Panasonic GH1. 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.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
At Camera Decision, we also look at Dxo Mark sensors when available as we think it is a good indicator of image quality.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic GH1
64
21.6 bits
11.6 Evs
772 ISO
Pentax K200D
64
22.4 bits
11.4 Evs
561 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Panasonic GH1
or the
Pentax K200D ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Four Thirds versus APS-C),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
