Panasonic FS12 vs Pentax K-5 II

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic FS12 and Pentax K-5 II, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the FS12 (12MP) and K-5 II (16MP) and the FS12 (1/2.3") and K-5 II (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The FS12 was unveiled 5 years earlier than the K-5 II and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the FS12 matches up vs the K-5 II with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 & Pentax K-5 II. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FS12 Gallery & Pentax K-5 II Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic FS12 has outer dimensions of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 II has specifications of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic FS12 and Pentax K-5 II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is the front view size comparison of the FS12 and the K-5 II.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FS12 and K-5 II is 95 and 60 respectively.

Typically, it is very tough to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing simply by viewing a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the FS12 and K-5 II.

Clearly, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The FS12 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-5 II will render greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The older FS12 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.