Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-5

Below is a extensive analysis of the Panasonic FS15 and Pentax K-5, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the FS15 (12MP) and K-5 (16MP) and the FS15 (1/2.3") and K-5 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The FS15 was announced 23 months before the K-5 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving through a in-depth comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the FS15 matches up against the K-5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 & Pentax K-5. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FS15 Gallery & Pentax K-5 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FS15 offers outer measurements of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 has measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FS15 and Pentax K-5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the FS15 compared to the K-5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FS15 and K-5 is 95 and 60 respectively.

More often than not, it is difficult to visualize the gap in sensor measurements just by viewing technical specs. The photograph below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the FS15 and K-5.

As you can tell, both of those cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FS15 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-5 will render more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures far more aggressively. The older FS15 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.