Panasonic FH1 vs Pentax K-50

Below is a complete review of the Panasonic FH1 vs Pentax K-50, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the FH1 (12MP) and K-50 (16MP) and the FH1 (1/2.3") and K-50 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizes.

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The FH1 was announced 4 years before the K-50 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FH1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-50 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the FH1 grades vs the K-50 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH1 & Pentax K-50. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic FH1 Gallery & Pentax K-50 Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH1 provides outer dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 163 grams (0.36 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-50 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FH1 vs Pentax K-50 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the FH1 against the K-50.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FH1 and K-50 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Typically, it is very hard to picture the gap between sensor measurements merely by going over technical specs. The visual here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the FH1 and K-50.

As you can tell, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FH1 with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh tougher and the Pentax K-50 will offer greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older FH1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.