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Panasonic FH5 vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
31
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
81
Features
74
Overall
78

Panasonic FH5 vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs

Panasonic FH5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 121g - 94 x 54 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2011
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-FS18
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Launched April 2014
  • Older Model is Pentax 645D
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Panasonic FH5 vs Pentax 645Z Overview

Here is a in depth comparison of the Panasonic FH5 and Pentax 645Z, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Pro DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the FH5 (16MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the FH5 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The FH5 was unveiled 4 years prior to the 645Z and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a quick overview of how the FH5 matches up against the 645Z when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH5 over the Pentax 645Z

 FH5 645Z 

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Panasonic FH5

 645Z FH5 
LaunchedApril 2014January 2011Fresher by 39 months
Manually focus More precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3.2"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FH5 and Pentax 645Z

 FH5 645Z 
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Panasonic FH5 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic FH5 has got outer dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") along with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) and the Pentax 645Z has specifications of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") with a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FH5 and Pentax 645Z in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that moment. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the FH5 against the 645Z.

Panasonic FH5 vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the FH5 and 645Z is 96 and 49 respectively.

Panasonic FH5 vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to see the gap in sensor sizing only by researching a spec sheet. The graphic here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH5 and 645Z.

As you can see, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FH5 with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax 645Z will provide you with extra detail having an extra 35MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots far more aggressively. The older FH5 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic FH5 vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH5 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax 645Z Portrait photography highlights
34
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
provides face detect focusing
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
88
focusing manually
excellent megapixels (51 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Medium format)
offers face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Street photography information
Pentax 645Z Street photography information
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features touch to focus
lighter than competition in class (121 grams)
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
63
tilting screen
sensor size is big (Medium format)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
above average high ISO (204,800)
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition (1,550g)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Sports photography details
Pentax 645Z Sports photography details
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
provides tracking focus
max frames per second low (4.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
71
excellent megapixels (51 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Medium format)
offers tracking focus
environment sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery power (650 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Travel photography information
Pentax 645Z Travel photography information
71
lighter than competition in class (121 grams)
features touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse mode
does not contain selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.1)
51
environment sealing
excellent megapixels (51MP)
terrible battery power (650 CIPA)
more heavy than competition (1,550g)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic FH5
Landscape photography with Pentax 645Z
38
rather wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
missing Timelapse mode
78
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2")
excellent megapixels (51 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Medium format)
doesnt have low pass filter
above average high ISO (204,800)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
two card slots
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery power (650 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FH5
Vlogging with Pentax 645Z
33
rather wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
lighter than competition in class (121g)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone port
27
offers face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with microphone socket
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition (1,550 grams)
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Panasonic FH5 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH5 and Pentax 645Z
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5Pentax 645Z
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 Pentax 645Z
Also called Lumix DMC-FS18 -
Type Small Sensor Compact Pro DSLR
Announced 2011-01-05 2014-04-15
Physical type Compact Large SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine IV PRIME III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Medium format
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 51MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 8256 x 6192
Maximum native ISO 6400 204800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 27
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax 645AF2
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.1-6.5 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Total lenses - 6
Focal length multiplier 5.9 0.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3.2 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.30 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Flash On, Flash On+Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync+Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, contrast-control-sync, high-speed sync, wireless sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/125 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p,24p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 121 gr (0.27 lb) 1550 gr (3.42 lb)
Dimensions 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 101
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 4505
Other
Battery life 260 photos 650 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Card slots One Two
Retail cost $169 $5,024