Panasonic F5 vs Pentax K10D

Let's take a deeper look at the Panasonic F5 versus Pentax K10D, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the F5 (14MP) and K10D (10MP) and the F5 (1/2.3") and K10D (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The F5 was released 6 years after the K10D which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic F5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K10D being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going right into a more detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the F5 matches up vs the K10D in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5 and Pentax K10D. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic F5 Gallery and Pentax K10D Gallery.

If you're planning to carry around your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic F5 comes with outer measurements of 97mm x 58mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") having a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) whilst the Pentax K10D has specifications of 142mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") with a weight of 793 grams (1.75 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic F5 versus Pentax K10D in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is a front view size comparison of the F5 and the K10D.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the F5 and K10D is 96 and 59 respectively.

Generally, it's hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by researching technical specs. The pic here will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the F5 and K10D.

As you can tell, both of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The F5 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Panasonic F5 will provide you with extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively. The younger F5 will have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.