Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 vs. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Comparison

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

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Megapixels

12.10

Max. image resolution

4000 x 3000

Sensor

Sensor type

CMOS

Sensor size

Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm)

Sensor resolution

4011 x 3016

Diagonal

21.64 mm

Sensor size comparison

Sensor size is generally a good indicator of the quality of the camera. Sensors can vary greatly in size. As a general rule, the bigger the sensor, the better the image quality.

Bigger sensors are more effective because they have more surface area to capture light. An important factor when comparing digital cameras is also camera generation. Generally, newer sensors will outperform the older.

Learn more about sensor sizes »

Actual sensor size

Note: Actual size is set to screen → change »

	vs
1	:	1
(ratio)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1		Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Surface area:

224.90 mm²

Difference: 0 mm² (0%)

G1 and GF2 sensors are the same size.

Note: You are comparing cameras of different generations. There is a 2 year gap between Panasonic G1 (2008) and Panasonic GF2 (2010). All things being equal, newer sensor generations generally outperform the older.

Pixel pitch

4.31 µm

Pixel pitch tells you the distance from the center of one pixel (photosite) to the center of the next. It tells you how close the pixels are to each other.

The bigger the pixel pitch, the further apart they are and the bigger each pixel is. Bigger pixels tend to have better signal to noise ratio and greater dynamic range.

Difference: 0 µm (0%)

G1 and GF2 have the same pixel pitch.

Pixel area

18.58 µm²

Pixel or photosite area affects how much light per pixel can be gathered. The larger it is the more light can be collected by a single pixel.

Larger pixels have the potential to collect more photons, resulting in greater dynamic range, while smaller pixels provide higher resolutions (more detail) for a given sensor size.

Relative pixel sizes:

Pixel area difference: 0 µm² (0%)

Panasonic G1 and Panasonic GF2 have the same pixel area.

Pixel density

5.38 MP/cm²

Pixel density tells you how many million pixels fit or would fit in one square cm of the sensor.

Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.

Difference: 0 µm (0%)

Panasonic G1 and Panasonic GF2 have the same pixel density.

To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.

Specs

Panasonic G1

Panasonic GF2

Crop factor

Total megapixels

13.10

Effective megapixels

12.10

Optical zoom

Digital zoom

Yes

ISO sensitivity

Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200

Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400

RAW

Manual focus

Normal focus range

Macro focus range

Focal length (35mm equiv.)

Aperture priority

Yes

Max. aperture

Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)

n/a

Metering

Centre weighted, Intelligent Multiple, Spot

Exposure compensation

±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)

Shutter priority

Yes

Min. shutter speed

Bulb+60 sec

60 sec

Max. shutter speed

1/4000 sec

Built-in flash

External flash

Viewfinder

Electronic

None

White balance presets

Screen size

Screen resolution

460,000 dots

Video capture

Max. video resolution

Storage types

MultiMedia, SDHC, Secure Digital

SDHC, SDXC, Secure Digital

USB

USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)

HDMI

Wireless

GPS

Battery

Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery

Weight

385 g

310 g

Dimensions

124 x 83.6 x 45.2 mm

112.8 x 67.8 x 32.8 mm

Year

2008

2010

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Diagonal

Diagonal is calculated by the use of Pythagorean theorem:

Diagonal = √

w² + h²

where w = sensor width and h = sensor height

Panasonic G1 diagonal

w = 17.30 mm
h = 13.00 mm

Diagonal = √

17.30² + 13.00²

= 21.64 mm

Panasonic GF2 diagonal

w = 17.30 mm
h = 13.00 mm

Diagonal = √

17.30² + 13.00²

= 21.64 mm

Surface area

Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.

G1 sensor area

Width = 17.30 mm
Height = 13.00 mm

Surface area = 17.30 × 13.00 = 224.90 mm²

GF2 sensor area

Width = 17.30 mm
Height = 13.00 mm

Surface area = 17.30 × 13.00 = 224.90 mm²

Pixel pitch

Pixel pitch is the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the next measured in micrometers (µm). It can be calculated with the following formula:

Pixel pitch =	sensor width in mm	× 1000
	sensor resolution width in pixels

G1 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4011 pixels

Pixel pitch =	17.30	× 1000	= 4.31 µm
	4011

GF2 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4011 pixels

Pixel pitch =	17.30	× 1000	= 4.31 µm
	4011

Pixel area

The area of one pixel can be calculated by simply squaring the pixel pitch:

Pixel area = pixel pitch²

You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:

Pixel area =	sensor surface area in mm²
	effective megapixels

G1 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 4.31 µm

Pixel area = 4.31² = 18.58 µm²

GF2 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 4.31 µm

Pixel area = 4.31² = 18.58 µm²

Pixel density

Pixel density can be calculated with the following formula:

Pixel density = (	sensor resolution width in pixels	)² / 1000000
	sensor width in cm

One could also use this formula:

Pixel density =	effective megapixels × 1000000	/ 10000
	sensor surface area in mm²

G1 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4011 pixels
Sensor width = 1.73 cm

Pixel density = (4011 / 1.73)² / 1000000 = 5.38 MP/cm²

GF2 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4011 pixels
Sensor width = 1.73 cm

Pixel density = (4011 / 1.73)² / 1000000 = 5.38 MP/cm²

Sensor resolution

Sensor resolution is calculated from sensor size and effective megapixels. It's slightly higher than maximum (not interpolated) image resolution which is usually stated on camera specifications. Sensor resolution is used in pixel pitch, pixel area, and pixel density formula. For sake of simplicity, we're going to calculate it in 3 stages.

1. First we need to find the ratio between horizontal and vertical length by dividing the former with the latter (aspect ratio). It's usually 1.33 (4:3) or 1.5 (3:2), but not always.

2. With the ratio (r) known we can calculate the X from the formula below, where X is a vertical number of pixels:

(X × r) × X = effective megapixels × 1000000 →

X = √	effective megapixels × 1000000
	r

3. To get sensor resolution we then multiply X with the corresponding ratio:

Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X

G1 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor height = 13.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 12.10

r = 17.30/13.00 = 1.33

X = √	12.10 × 1000000	= 3016
	1.33

Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3016 × 1.33 = 4011
Resolution vertical: X = 3016

Sensor resolution = 4011 x 3016

GF2 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor height = 13.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 12.10

r = 17.30/13.00 = 1.33

X = √	12.10 × 1000000	= 3016
	1.33

Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3016 × 1.33 = 4011
Resolution vertical: X = 3016

Sensor resolution = 4011 x 3016

Crop factor

Crop factor or focal length multiplier is calculated by dividing the diagonal of 35 mm film (43.27 mm) with the diagonal of the sensor.

Crop factor =	43.27 mm
	sensor diagonal in mm

G1 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 21.64 mm

Crop factor =	43.27	= 2
	21.64

GF2 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 21.64 mm

Crop factor =	43.27	= 2
	21.64

35 mm equivalent aperture

Equivalent aperture (in 135 film terms) is calculated by multiplying lens aperture with crop factor (a.k.a. focal length multiplier).

G1 equivalent aperture

Aperture is a lens characteristic, so it's calculated only for fixed lens cameras. If you want to know the equivalent aperture for Panasonic G1, take the aperture of the lens you're using and multiply it with crop factor.

Crop factor for Panasonic G1 is 2

GF2 equivalent aperture

Aperture is a lens characteristic, so it's calculated only for fixed lens cameras. If you want to know the equivalent aperture for Panasonic GF2, take the aperture of the lens you're using and multiply it with crop factor.

Crop factor for Panasonic GF2 is 2

More comparisons of Panasonic G1:

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