Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5

Let's look a little more in depth at the Panasonic FX78 and Pentax K-5, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the FX78 (12MP) and K-5 (16MP) and the FX78 (1/2.3") and K-5 (APS-C) posses different sensor dimensions.

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The FX78 was revealed 2 months later than the K-5 which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FX78 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short introduction of how the FX78 matches up vs the K-5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 & Pentax K-5. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FX78 Gallery & Pentax K-5 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera often, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FX78 provides outside dimensions of 100mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 has proportions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic FX78 and Pentax K-5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the FX78 and the K-5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FX78 and K-5 is 95 and 60 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizing merely by going through specifications. The visual below might provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FX78 and K-5.

Plainly, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The FX78 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-5 will produce more detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images a bit more aggressively.