Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Below is a extended overview of the Panasonic FZ80 and Pentax K-5 IIs, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the FZ80 (18MP) and the K-5 IIs (16MP) is relatively close but the FZ80 (1/2.3") and K-5 IIs (APS-C) have totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The FZ80 was released 3 years later than the K-5 IIs and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the FZ80 grades vs the K-5 IIs with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 and Pentax K-5 IIs. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic FZ80 Gallery and Pentax K-5 IIs Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FZ80 enjoys external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") accompanied by a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 IIs has measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FZ80 and Pentax K-5 IIs in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the FZ80 and the K-5 IIs.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the FZ80 and K-5 IIs is 63 and 60 respectively.

In many cases, it is very tough to visualise the difference in sensor measurements just by viewing technical specs. The photograph here will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the FZ80 and K-5 IIs.

As you can tell, both of those cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FZ80 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Panasonic FZ80 will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures way more aggressively. The more modern FZ80 will have an edge in sensor tech.