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Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-7

Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
 
Pentax K-7 front
Portability
60
Imaging
54
Features
69
Overall
60

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-7 Key Specs

Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Expand to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Introduced April 2009
Pentax K-7
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 2000 (Boost to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 750g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Introduced October 2009
  • Renewed by Pentax K-5
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Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-7 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Panasonic FS42 versus Pentax K-7, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the FS42 (10MP) and K-7 (15MP) and the FS42 (1/2.5") and K-7 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The FS42 was unveiled 5 months prior to the K-7 and they are both of a similar generation. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-7 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief view of how the FS42 matches up versus the K-7 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Pentax K-7

 FS42 K-7 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-7 over the Panasonic FS42

 K-7 FS42 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FS42 and Pentax K-7

 FS42 K-7 
IntroducedApril 2009October 2009Similar generation
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-7 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FS42 comes with physical measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs) and the Pentax K-7 has dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 750 grams (1.65 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic FS42 versus Pentax K-7 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. Below is a front view size comparison of the FS42 versus the K-7.

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-7 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FS42 and K-7 is 95 and 60 respectively.

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-7 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-7 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's hard to envision the difference between sensor measurements purely by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the FS42 and K-7.

Clearly, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FS42 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-7 will give you extra detail having an extra 5MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively.

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-7 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FS42 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-7 as a Portrait photography camera
19
no manual focus
no manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW format
72
focusing manually
MP count good (15MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FS42
Street photography with Pentax K-7
47
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW format
low maximum ISO (1,000)
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-7 Sports photography highlights
16
low fps (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.5")
doesn't have phase detect AF
69
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (15 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
weather sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
max frames per second very slow (5.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-7 Travel photography highlights
51
built-in flash
missing Timelapse recording
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
64
weather sealing
MP count good (15MP)
built-in flash
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Landscape photography details
Pentax K-7 Landscape photography details
22
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.5 inch)
no manual mode
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.5")
low maximum ISO (1,000)
doesn't have RAW format
missing Timelapse recording
77
focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (15 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FS42 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-7 as a Vlogging camera
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video res low (640 x 480 pixels)
missing external microphone jack
25
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone jack
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Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax K-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS42 and Pentax K-7
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42Pentax K-7
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 Pentax K-7
Class Ultracompact Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2009-04-17 2009-10-02
Body design Ultracompact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Prime II
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.5" APS-C
Sensor measurements 5.744 x 4.308mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 24.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 15 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4672 x 3104
Maximum native ISO 1000 2000
Maximum boosted ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 11
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 33-132mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Crop factor 6.3 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.5 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech - TFT color LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 2.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.30 m 13.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 1536 x 1024 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 132 grams (0.29 lbs) 750 grams (1.65 lbs)
Physical 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 61
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 10.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 536
Other
Battery life - 980 pictures
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/MMC
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $580 $599