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Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
63
Imaging
45
Features
62
Overall
51
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Panasonic FZ80
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Raise to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 20-1200mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 616g - 130 x 94 x 119mm
  • Launched January 2017
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-FZ82
Pentax K-500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Released November 2013
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Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Below is a in depth overview of the Panasonic FZ80 and Pentax K-500, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the FZ80 (18MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is very similar but the FZ80 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The FZ80 was unveiled 3 years later than the K-500 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a short view of how the FZ80 grades vs the K-500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ80 over the Pentax K-500

 FZ80 K-500 
ReleasedJanuary 2017November 2013More recent by 38 months
Display resolution1040k921kCrisper display (+119k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Panasonic FZ80

 K-500 FZ80 

Common features in the Panasonic FZ80 and Pentax K-500

 FZ80 K-500 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display dimensions
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FZ80 features external measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") having a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) while the Pentax K-500 has dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic FZ80 and Pentax K-500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at the time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the FZ80 and the K-500.

Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FZ80 and K-500 is 63 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its difficult to visualise the difference between sensor measurements just by going over specs. The visual here will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the FZ80 and K-500.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FZ80 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Panasonic FZ80 will offer extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more recent FZ80 will have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FZ80 Portrait photography features
Pentax K-500 Portrait photography features
59
manual focus
decent MP (18 megapixels)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
small sensor size (1/2.3")
74
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FZ80 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Street photography camera
54
has image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW files
offers touch to focus
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
heavier than competition (616 grams)
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
above average ISO range (51,600)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FZ80 Sports photography features
Pentax K-500 Sports photography features
58
amazing zoom range (20-1200mm 60.0 x zoom)
silent mode (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18MP)
includes tracking focus
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
72
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
great battery power (710 shots)
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps low (6.0 frames/s)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FZ80 Travel photography details
Pentax K-500 Travel photography details
59
offers touch to focus
decent MP (18 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (20mm)
long zoom (1200mm)
heavier than competition (616 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
67
great battery power (710 per charge)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FZ80 Landscape photography factors
Pentax K-500 Landscape photography factors
57
manual focus
rather wide (20mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18MP)
exports RAW files
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
79
manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
above average ISO range (51,600)
exports RAW files
great battery power (710 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FZ80 Vlogging info
Pentax K-500 Vlogging info
28
rather wide (20mm)
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
does not have mic port
heavier than competition (616 grams)
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
does not have mic socket
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Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FZ80 and Pentax K-500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80Pentax K-500
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 Pentax K-500
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-FZ82 -
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2017-01-04 2013-11-27
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine PRIME M
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Full resolution 4896 x 3672 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 51600
Max boosted ISO 6400 -
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 49 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 20-1200mm (60.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,040 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 1,166 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/6000s
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 14.10 m (at Auto ISO) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, 1st Curtain Sync, 2nd Curtain Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC 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 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 616g (1.36 lbs) 646g (1.42 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") 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 330 shots 710 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack AA
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3 images x 10 secs) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $399 $600