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Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
31
Overall
33
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 front
 
Pentax K-5 IIs front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
83
Overall
68

Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Key Specs

Panasonic FX78
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-5.9) lens
  • 142g - 100 x 55 x 21mm
  • Announced January 2011
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-FX77
Pentax K-5 IIs
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Launched June 2013
  • Older Model is Pentax K-5
Photography Glossary

Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Overview

Below, we will be analyzing the Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the FX78 (12MP) and K-5 IIs (16MP) and the FX78 (1/2.3") and K-5 IIs (APS-C) come with different sensor sizing.

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The FX78 was manufactured 3 years prior to the K-5 IIs and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FX78 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick view of how the FX78 matches up against the K-5 IIs for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FX78 over the Pentax K-5 IIs

 FX78 K-5 IIs 
Screen dimension3.5"3"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 IIs over the Panasonic FX78

 K-5 IIs FX78 
LaunchedJune 2013January 2011Fresher by 28 months
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FX78 and Pentax K-5 IIs

 FX78 K-5 IIs 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Panasonic FX78 has external dimensions of 100mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 IIs has specifications of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the FX78 and the K-5 IIs.

Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FX78 and K-5 IIs is 95 and 60 respectively.

Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to visualize the difference between sensor sizing purely by reviewing technical specs. The visual here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the FX78 and K-5 IIs.

As you have seen, both of those cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The FX78 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-5 IIs will deliver greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older FX78 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs sensor size comparison

Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FX78 Portrait photography info
Pentax K-5 IIs Portrait photography info
21
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
74
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FX78 Street photography advice
Pentax K-5 IIs Street photography advice
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
environment proof
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FX78 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-5 IIs Sports photography highlights
28
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking focus
low max shutter speed (1/1,400 seconds)
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
bad battery power (200 CIPA)
lacks phase detect AF
79
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers tracking focus
environment proof
supports phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FX78 Travel photography advice
Pentax K-5 IIs Travel photography advice
56
flash built-in
quite wide (24mm)
no Timelapse function
bad battery power (200 CIPA)
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.5)
65
environment proof
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic FX78
Landscape photography with Pentax K-5 IIs
36
quite wide (24mm)
very good size screen (3.5 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.5)
lack of manual exposure
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
bad battery power (200 CIPA)
no Timelapse function
79
focusing manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
does not have anti-alias filter
supports RAW files
environment proof
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FX78 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-5 IIs as a Vlogging camera
33
quite wide (24mm)
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
no microphone port
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone jack
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FX78 and Pentax K-5 IIs
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78Pentax K-5 IIs
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 Pentax K-5 IIs
Other name Lumix DMC-FX77 -
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Announced 2011-01-25 2013-06-04
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine FHD Prime II
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum enhanced ISO - 51200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Min enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 11 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.5-5.9 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Available lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3.5" 3"
Screen resolution 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech TFT LCD TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/1400s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.60 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD 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 Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 142g (0.31 pounds) 760g (1.68 pounds)
Dimensions 100 x 55 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 82
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.1
DXO Low light score not tested 1208
Other
Battery life 200 photographs 980 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Launch price $210 $749