Panasonic GH5 vs Pentax K-500

On this page, we will be evaluating the Panasonic GH5 and Pentax K-500, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the GH5 (20MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the GH5 (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The GH5 was announced 3 years later than the K-500 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GH5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the GH5 matches up against the K-500 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 & Pentax K-500. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic GH5 Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.

If you're aiming to lug around your camera, you should factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GH5 offers external measurements of 139mm x 98mm x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 725 grams (1.60 lbs) whilst 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 GH5 and Pentax K-500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using during that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the GH5 against the K-500.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GH5 and K-500 is 59 and 64 respectively.

Typically, it is tough to visualise the difference in sensor measurements purely by viewing specs. The visual below may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the GH5 and K-500.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The GH5 with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Panasonic GH5 will provide you with extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The younger GH5 will have a benefit in sensor tech.