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Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
 
Pentax K-5 IIs front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
83
Overall
68

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Key Specs

Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Increase to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Introduced April 2009
Pentax K-5 IIs
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Launched June 2013
  • Succeeded the Pentax K-5
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Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Overview

Below is a detailed comparison of the Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap among the resolutions of the FS42 (10MP) and K-5 IIs (16MP) and the FS42 (1/2.5") and K-5 IIs (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

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The FS42 was released 5 years before the K-5 IIs and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the FS42 grades against the K-5 IIs with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Pentax K-5 IIs

 FS42 K-5 IIs 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 IIs over the Panasonic FS42

 K-5 IIs FS42 
LaunchedJune 2013April 2009More recent by 50 months
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FS42 and Pentax K-5 IIs

 FS42 K-5 IIs 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic FS42 features physical measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 IIs has specifications of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the FS42 against the K-5 IIs.

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FS42 and K-5 IIs is 95 and 60 respectively.

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very difficult to picture the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through technical specs. The photograph here will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the FS42 and K-5 IIs.

As you can tell, both of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FS42 because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh more challenging and the Pentax K-5 IIs will show extra detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older FS42 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic FS42
Portrait photography with Pentax K-5 IIs
19
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
lacks RAW format
74
focusing manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Street photography factors
Pentax K-5 IIs Street photography factors
47
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
lacks RAW format
max ISO too low (1,000)
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FS42 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-5 IIs as a Sports photography camera
16
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
lacks phase detect auto focus
79
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking focus
environment sealing
has phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic FS42
Travel photography with Pentax K-5 IIs
51
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse mode
low resolution sensor (10MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
65
environment sealing
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FS42 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-5 IIs as a Landscape photography camera
22
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.5 inch)
lack of manual mode
lack of image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
max ISO too low (1,000)
lacks RAW format
missing Time Lapse mode
79
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
does not have anti-alias filter
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FS42
Vlogging with Pentax K-5 IIs
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (640 x 480 resolution)
missing external mic support
33
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has microphone support
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS42 and Pentax K-5 IIs
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42Pentax K-5 IIs
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 Pentax K-5 IIs
Category Ultracompact Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2009-04-17 2013-06-04
Physical type Ultracompact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Prime II
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.5" APS-C
Sensor measurements 5.744 x 4.308mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 24.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 1000 12800
Highest boosted ISO 6400 51200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Minimum boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 33-132mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Available lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 6.3 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.30 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Highest video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 132 gr (0.29 lbs) 760 gr (1.68 lbs)
Dimensions 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 82
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 1208
Other
Battery life - 980 pictures
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Retail cost $580 $749