Panasonic LX10 vs Pentax K-500

The following is a extended overview of the Panasonic LX10 and Pentax K-500, former is a Large Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the LX10 (20MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the LX10 (1") and K-500 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The LX10 was brought out 2 years after the K-500 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic LX10 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a brief overview of how the LX10 scores vs the K-500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX10 & Pentax K-500. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic LX10 Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.

When you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic LX10 has got physical dimensions of 106mm x 60mm x 42mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.7") along with a weight of 310 grams (0.68 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).

Check the Panasonic LX10 and Pentax K-500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the LX10 and the K-500.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the LX10 and K-500 is 88 and 64 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to see the contrast between sensor dimensions only by checking specs. The image underneath should give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the LX10 and K-500.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The LX10 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Panasonic LX10 will give you greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images more aggressively. The younger LX10 will have a benefit in sensor technology.