Panasonic LS5 vs Pentax K-3 II

On this page, we are analyzing the Panasonic LS5 versus Pentax K-3 II, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the LS5 (14MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the LS5 (1/2.3") and K-3 II (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The LS5 was launched 4 years before the K-3 II and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic LS5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a concise view of how the LS5 scores vs the K-3 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS5 and Pentax K-3 II. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic LS5 Gallery and Pentax K-3 II Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera, you'll have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic LS5 has external dimensions of 97mm x 62mm x 27mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-3 II has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic LS5 versus Pentax K-3 II in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have at the time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the LS5 against the K-3 II.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the LS5 and K-3 II is 94 and 59 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to envision the difference between sensor measurements purely by going over technical specs. The graphic below will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the LS5 and K-3 II.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The LS5 because of its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Pentax K-3 II will offer you greater detail utilizing its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older LS5 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.