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Pentax K-S2 vs Panasonic G9

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Camera to replace
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Pentax K-S2

20 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Pentax K-S2
$544.59
or
BUY
Change

Panasonic G9

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

Panasonic G9
$1,297.99
or
BUY
Pentax K-S2 vs Panasonic G9 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Pentax K-S2, which was introduced in February 2015 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 20.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Panasonic G9, which was introduced in November 2017 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Pentax K-S2 and Panasonic G9 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Pentax K-S2 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2015-02-10
  • 20MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3″ Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 5.4 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 678g. 91 x 123 x 73 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Pentax K-S1 Compare

Panasonic G9 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-11-08
  • 20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3 Fully Articulated Screen
  • 3680k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 20.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 658g. 137 x 97 x 92 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
Reasons to choose Pentax K-S2 over Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Built-in Flash Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Max ISO 51.200 vs 25.600 100% higher Max ISO
Battery Life 410 shots vs 400 shots 10 more frames with a single charge
Sensor Pixel Area 18.37µm2 vs 11.16µm2 64% larger pixel area
Price $545 vs $1,298 $753 cheaper
NFC Connection Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Anti Alias Filter Simulator Yes vs No Turn on Anti Alias filter effect to minimise Moire
Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 over Pentax K-S2
Touch Screen Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Number of Focus Points 225 vs 11 214 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution 1.040k dots vs 921k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000s vs 1/6000s faster shutter speed
Continuous Shooting 20.0fps vs 5.4fps 14.6 fps faster
Weight 658 g vs 678 g 20 g lighter
Headphone Port Yes vs No better video control
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
Pixel Shift High Resolution 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 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
Support for UHS Memory Cards UHS-II vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Common Strengths of Pentax K-S2 and Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Wireless Connection Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift All the lenses are stabilized
Articulating Screen Yes vs Yes Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
RAW Support Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution 20 MP vs 20 MP Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution 921k dots vs 1.040k dots Higher resolution screens
Microphone Port Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording Yes vs Yes creative shooting
AE Bracketing Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Selfie Friendly LCD Yes vs Yes Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Smartphone Remote Control Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Common Weaknesses of Pentax K-S2 and Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Pentax K-S2 vs Panasonic G9: Physical Specs Comparison

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Pentax K-S2 and Panasonic G9. Pentax K-S2 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 14mm narrower, 6mm shorter and 19mm thinner than Panasonic G9.

Pentax K-S2 vs Panasonic G9 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Pentax K-S2 and Panasonic G9.
Pentax K-S2 vs Panasonic G9 Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Pentax K-S2 vs Panasonic G9 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Panasonic G9 is 20g lighter than the Pentax K-S2 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

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-S2 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-S2 lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

K-S2
G9
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

K-S2
G9
Min
Average
Max
Pentax K-S2 vs Panasonic G9: Sensor Comparison

Both Pentax K-S2 and Panasonic G9 have 20.0 MP resolution sensors but Pentax K-S2's sensor is APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) and Panasonic G9's sensor is Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ).

Since Pentax K-S2's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Panasonic G9.

Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Panasonic G9 and Pentax K-S2 sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. 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 K-S2 and G9 sensor size comparison.

Pentax K-S2 vs Panasonic G9 Sensor Size Comparison


As seen above, Pentax K-S2 has a 1.6x 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.

What types of Photography are Pentax K-S2 and Panasonic G9 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Pentax K-S2 and Panasonic G9 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.

Pentax K-S2 for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT

Panasonic G9 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
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

Pentax K-S2 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Panasonic G9 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details
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

Pentax K-S2 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Panasonic G9 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/6000s
11 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.4fps
Read the details
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

Pentax K-S2 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Panasonic G9 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
678g
Body Thickness 73mm
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
658g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details

Pentax K-S2 for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details


Panasonic G9 vs Pentax K-S2 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-S2 has an advantage over Panasonic G9. There are 148 lenses for Pentax K-S2's Pentax KAF2 mount, on the other hand there are only 98 lenses for Panasonic G9's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Both Pentax K-S2 and Panasonic G9 has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies.

Lens Type # of Pentax K-S2 Lenses # of Panasonic G9 Lenses
Standard Zoom 22 14
Standard Prime 19 12
Wideangle Zoom 11 4
Wideangle Prime 24 26
Telephoto Zoom 20 17
Telephoto Prime 12 8
SuperZoom 15 7
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 3 5
Macro Prime 14 4
Perspective Control Prime 8 n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1
TOTAL 148 98
Pentax K-S2 vs Panasonic G9: 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 Pentax K-S2 and Panasonic G9, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 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 Pentax K-S2 and Panasonic G9 scores compare:

Pentax K-S2
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #1 out of 76 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #51 out of 1168 in all Cameras
Panasonic G9
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #16 out of 60 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #36 out of 1168 in all Cameras

Panasonic G9 has a higher Overall Score than the Pentax K-S2 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Pentax K-S2
Pentax K-S2
$544.59

Panasonic G9
Panasonic G9
$1,297.99

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax K-S2 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Pentax K-S2 Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Brand Pentax Panasonic
Announced 2015-02-10 2017-11-08
Body Type Compact SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Price $544.59 $1,297.99
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size APS-C Four Thirds
Dimensions 23.5 x 15.6 mm 17.3 x 13 mm
Area 366.60mm2 224.90mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 20 megapixels
Max Resolution 5472 x 3648 5184 x 3888
Max Native Light sensitivity 51,200 ISO 25,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 200 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 11 225
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Pentax KAF2 Micro Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses 148 98
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Size 3″ 3
Resolution 921k dots 1,040k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 3,680k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.64 0.83
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/6000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.4 fps 20.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 3840 x 2160
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 678g 658g
Dimensions 91 x 123 x 73mm 137 x 97 x 92mm
Battery Life 410 shots 400 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Optional None
DxO Sensor Scores
Report a correction Report a correction
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