Panasonic FX48 vs Pentax K-5 II

Following is a extensive overview of the Panasonic FX48 versus Pentax K-5 II, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a huge difference among the image resolutions of the FX48 (12MP) and K-5 II (16MP) and the FX48 (1/2.3") and K-5 II (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

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The FX48 was released 5 years earlier than the K-5 II which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FX48 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a short view of how the FX48 grades against the K-5 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 and Pentax K-5 II. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic FX48 Gallery and Pentax K-5 II Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic FX48 offers physical dimensions of 95mm x 53mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9") with a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 II has sizing of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FX48 versus Pentax K-5 II in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the FX48 compared to the K-5 II.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the FX48 and K-5 II is 95 and 60 respectively.

Often, it is difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizes purely by going through technical specs. The pic below will give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FX48 and K-5 II.

As you can tell, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The FX48 due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Pentax K-5 II will show extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more aged FX48 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.