Panasonic FX48 vs Pentax K-S2

Its time to look a little more closely at the Panasonic FX48 and Pentax K-S2, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the FX48 (12MP) and K-S2 (20MP) and the FX48 (1/2.3") and K-S2 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizes.

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The FX48 was announced 7 years earlier than the K-S2 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FX48 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short summation of how the FX48 matches up vs the K-S2 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 and Pentax K-S2. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic FX48 Gallery and Pentax K-S2 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic FX48 features external dimensions of 95mm x 53mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9") having a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs) while the Pentax K-S2 has sizing of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") having a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic FX48 and Pentax K-S2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the FX48 and the K-S2.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FX48 and K-S2 is 95 and 64 respectively.

More often than not, it's tough to visualize the difference between sensor sizes only by reading specs. The picture below may offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the FX48 and K-S2.

All in all, both of those cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The FX48 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-S2 will offer more detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images way more aggressively. The more aged FX48 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.