Pentax Q-S1 vs Panasonic Lumix DC-G100

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Pentax Q-S1 and the Panasonic Lumix DC-G100, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Pentax Q-S1 was introduced in August 2014 and Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 was introduced in June 2020. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax Q-S1 over Panasonic Lumix DC-G100.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 over Pentax Q-S1.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Pentax Q-S1 and Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 have 3.0" screens with 460k dot and 1,840k dot resolutions respectively. Pentax Q-S1 has a Fixed screen Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Panasonic Lumix DC-G100) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Electronic (OLED) Viewfinder on Panasonic Lumix DC-G100

Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 has a built-in Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 3,680k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 1.46x (0.73x 35mm equivalent) magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Pentax Q-S1.

Pentax Q-S1 features a 12.4 megapixel 1/1.7-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 7.44 x 5.58 mm and a total area of 41.5 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800. Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 features a 20.3 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 25,600 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

Pentax Q-S1 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Pentax Q-S1 is equipped with Q Engine processor and can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 2664, 4000 x 2248, 2992 x 2992, 3072 x 2034, 3072 x 2048, 3072 x 1728, 2304 x 2304, 1920 x 1400, 1920 x 1280, 1920 x 1080, 1440 x 1440 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 can take pictures up to 5184 x 3888 resolution.

Lens Mount

Pentax Q-S1 has Pentax Q lens mount and Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to 1/1.7-inch sensor in Pentax Q-S1 its crop factor is equal to 4.7x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 4.7. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Pentax Q-S1

Pentax Q-S1 has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Panasonic Lumix DC-G100

Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Panasonic Lumix DC-G100

Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Pentax Q-S1 has a Micro HDMI and Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Pentax Q-S1 comes with D-LI68 battery pack with battery life of 250 shots and Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 comes with BLG10 battery pack with battery life of 270 shots.

External Storage Slots

Pentax Q-S1 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slot.

Shutter

Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 has Mechanical Focal Plane shutter and Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Pentax Q-S1, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/500 sec with mechanical shutter on Panasonic Lumix DC-G100. Pentax Q-S1 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 ranges from 0 to +18 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Pentax Q-S1 and ±5 EV range on Panasonic Lumix DC-G100. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax Q-S1 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DC-G100.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 4.90 m at ISO 100 on Pentax Q-S1 and 3.60 m at ISO 100 on Panasonic Lumix DC-G100. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe..

Pentax Q-S1 body has dimensions of 105 x 58 x 34 mm (4.13 x 2.28 x 1.34") and Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 body has dimensions of 116 x 83 x 54 mm (4.57 x 3.27 x 2.13"). Pentax Q-S1 weighs 203 g (0.45 lb / 7.16 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 weighs 352 g (0.78 lb / 12.42 oz).

Pentax Q-S1

Panasonic Lumix DC-G100

105 mm

58 mm

116 mm

83 mm

34 mm

54 mm