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Panasonic FX580 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
29
Overall
32
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Panasonic FX580 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Panasonic FX580
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Push to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 167g - 95 x 57 x 22mm
  • Announced January 2009
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-FX550
Pentax K-500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Revealed November 2013
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Panasonic FX580 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Here, we are analyzing the Panasonic FX580 versus Pentax K-500, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a big gap among the sensor resolutions of the FX580 (12MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the FX580 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The FX580 was introduced 5 years earlier than the K-500 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FX580 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summary of how the FX580 scores versus the K-500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FX580 over the Pentax K-500

 FX580 K-500 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Panasonic FX580

 K-500 FX580 
RevealedNovember 2013January 2009More modern by 58 months
Manually focus Very precise focus
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FX580 and Pentax K-500

 FX580 K-500 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display dimensions
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Panasonic FX580 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FX580 enjoys outside measurements of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Pentax K-500 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic FX580 versus Pentax K-500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have during that time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the FX580 against the K-500.

Panasonic FX580 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FX580 and K-500 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic FX580 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FX580 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to see the difference in sensor sizes purely by going through specifications. The image below may give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the FX580 and K-500.

To sum up, the 2 cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The FX580 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-500 will show more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more aged FX580 will be behind in sensor tech.

Panasonic FX580 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FX580 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FX580 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FX580 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Portrait photography camera
26
includes face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
no manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
74
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FX580 Street photography features
Pentax K-500 Street photography features
56
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
good high ISO (51,600)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic FX580
Sports photography with Pentax K-500
27
image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
72
high shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
great battery (710 per charge)
supports phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FX580 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-500 Travel photography highlights
58
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
no Timelapse function
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
67
great battery (710 CIPA)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FX580 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Landscape photography camera
36
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
no manual exposure
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
no Timelapse function
79
has manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
good high ISO (51,600)
saves RAW files
great battery (710 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FX580 Vlogging details
Pentax K-500 Vlogging details
30
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focus
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone port
30
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
does not have external microphone jack
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Panasonic FX580 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FX580 and Pentax K-500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580Pentax K-500
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 Pentax K-500
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-FX550 -
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2009-01-27 2013-11-27
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - PRIME M
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 1600 51600
Max boosted ISO 6400 -
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 11 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 25-125mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/6000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.00 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
AE 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
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
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 Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 167 gr (0.37 pounds) 646 gr (1.42 pounds)
Physical dimensions 95 x 57 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 79
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.1
DXO Low light score not tested 1087
Other
Battery life - 710 photos
Battery format - AA
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $499 $600