Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-5 II

Here is a complete overview of the Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-5 II, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. The image resolution of the FZ100 (14MP) and the K-5 II (16MP) is pretty well matched but the FZ100 (1/2.3") and K-5 II (APS-C) provide different sensor size.

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The FZ100 was announced 3 years earlier than the K-5 II and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FZ100 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go right into a full comparison, here is a simple view of how the FZ100 scores vs the K-5 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 & Pentax K-5 II. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FZ100 Gallery & Pentax K-5 II Gallery.

If you are planning to carry your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and size. The Panasonic FZ100 has got outer measurements of 124mm x 82mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.2" x 3.6") along with a weight of 540 grams (1.19 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 II has specifications of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-5 II in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the FZ100 against the K-5 II.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the FZ100 and K-5 II is 67 and 60 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing just by checking technical specs. The visual underneath should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the FZ100 and K-5 II.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FZ100 having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-5 II will give you more detail with its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older FZ100 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.