Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-5 II

In this write-up, we will be evaluating the Panasonic FH20 and Pentax K-5 II, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the FH20 (14MP) and the K-5 II (16MP) is relatively well matched but the FH20 (1/2.3") and K-5 II (APS-C) use totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The FH20 was launched 4 years before the K-5 II and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the FH20 scores against the K-5 II in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 & Pentax K-5 II. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic FH20 Gallery & Pentax K-5 II Gallery.

If you're planning to carry your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH20 provides outside measurements of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 II has proportions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic FH20 and Pentax K-5 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the FH20 compared to the K-5 II.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the FH20 and K-5 II is 93 and 60 respectively.

Generally, it is very hard to envision the gap between sensor sizing simply by looking at a spec sheet. The visual below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the FH20 and K-5 II.

As you can see, the two cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The FH20 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-5 II will give greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older FH20 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.