Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

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.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 and Pentax K-5 IIs. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic FX78 Gallery and Pentax K-5 IIs Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.