Clicky

Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
67
Imaging
37
Features
62
Overall
47
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Panasonic FZ100
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F2.8-5.2) lens
  • 540g - 124 x 82 x 92mm
  • Released July 2010
  • Replacement is Panasonic FZ200
Pentax K-500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Introduced November 2013
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Here, we will be reviewing the Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the FZ100 (14MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is pretty similar but the FZ100 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) have totally different sensor measurements.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The FZ100 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the K-500 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FZ100 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving into a thorough comparison, here is a short view of how the FZ100 matches up vs the K-500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ100 over the Pentax K-500

 FZ100 K-500 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Panasonic FZ100

 K-500 FZ100 
IntroducedNovember 2013July 2010More modern by 40 months
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FZ100 and Pentax K-500

 FZ100 K-500 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry around your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FZ100 has external dimensions of 124mm x 82mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.2" x 3.6") and a weight of 540 grams (1.19 lbs) while the Pentax K-500 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the FZ100 against the K-500.

Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FZ100 and K-500 is 67 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be difficult to see the gap between sensor sizes purely by reading technical specs. The pic here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FZ100 and K-500.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The FZ100 because of its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF harder and the Pentax K-500 will offer extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged FZ100 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FZ100 Portrait photography information
Pentax K-500 Portrait photography information
54
you can focus manually
decent MP (14MP)
includes face detection focus
saves RAW formats
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
74
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Panasonic FZ100 Street photography features
Pentax K-500 Street photography features
58
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW formats
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
heavier than competitors in class (540g)
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
good high ISO (51,600)
screen is fixed
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sports Comparison

Panasonic FZ100 Sports photography info
Pentax K-500 Sports photography info
51
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
72
great max shutter speed (1/6,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
better than average battery (710 CIPA)
has phase detect autofocus
max fps very slow (6.0 fps)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Panasonic FZ100 Travel photography factors
Pentax K-500 Travel photography factors
59
decent MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
pretty wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
missing Time Lapse function
heavier than competitors in class (540 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
67
better than average battery (710 per charge)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
built-in flash
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FZ100 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Landscape photography camera
51
you can focus manually
pretty wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14MP)
saves RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
missing Time Lapse function
79
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
good high ISO (51,600)
saves RAW files
better than average battery (710 per charge)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FZ100
Vlogging with Pentax K-500
64
pretty wide (25mm)
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have external mic port
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
heavier than competitors in class (540 grams)
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
no external mic jack
Photography Glossary

Panasonic FZ100 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FZ100 and Pentax K-500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100Pentax K-500
General Information
Make Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 Pentax K-500
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2010-07-21 2013-11-27
Body design SLR-like (bridge) Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine FHD PRIME M
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4320 x 3240 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 51600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8-5.2 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/6000s
Continuous shooting speed 11.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 9.50 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (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 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD MPEG-4, H.264
Mic 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 540 grams (1.19 lb) 646 grams (1.42 lb)
Physical dimensions 124 x 82 x 92mm (4.9" x 3.2" x 3.6") 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 secs) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $500 $600