Panasonic FZ150 vs Pentax K-S2

Here is a in-depth comparison of the Panasonic FZ150 and Pentax K-S2, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the FZ150 (12MP) and K-S2 (20MP) and the FZ150 (1/2.3") and K-S2 (APS-C) have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The FZ150 was manufactured 3 years prior to the K-S2 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FZ150 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the FZ150 grades against the K-S2 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 & Pentax K-S2. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic FZ150 Gallery & Pentax K-S2 Gallery.

When you are going to carry your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FZ150 comes with outer measurements of 124mm x 82mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.2" x 3.6") accompanied by a weight of 528 grams (1.16 lbs) while the Pentax K-S2 has measurements of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") along with a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FZ150 and Pentax K-S2 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the FZ150 vs the K-S2.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the FZ150 and K-S2 is 67 and 64 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizing simply by looking through specifications. The graphic below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the FZ150 and K-S2.

Plainly, both of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The FZ150 due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Pentax K-S2 will render greater detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older FZ150 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.