Panasonic FH1 vs Pentax K-500

Below, we will be reviewing the Panasonic FH1 versus Pentax K-500, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the FH1 (12MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the FH1 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The FH1 was revealed 4 years before the K-500 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going in to a full comparison, below is a simple view of how the FH1 matches up vs the K-500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH1 and Pentax K-500. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH1 Gallery and Pentax K-500 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera, you have to consider its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH1 comes with exterior 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-500 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FH1 versus Pentax K-500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the FH1 versus the K-500.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FH1 and K-500 is 95 and 64 respectively.

More often than not, it's tough to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes only by looking at specifications. The pic here should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the FH1 and K-500.

Plainly, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The FH1 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Pentax K-500 will give you extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged FH1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.