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Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
88
Imaging
35
Features
44
Overall
38
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs

Panasonic LX5
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-90mm (F2.0-3.3) lens
  • 271g - 110 x 65 x 43mm
  • Revealed December 2011
  • Superseded the Panasonic LX3
  • Renewed by Panasonic LX7
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Revealed April 2014
  • Succeeded the Pentax 645D
Photography Glossary

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax 645Z Overview

On this page, we will be looking at the Panasonic LX5 versus Pentax 645Z, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Pro DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a huge difference among the image resolutions of the LX5 (10MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the LX5 (1/1.63") and 645Z (Medium format) have different sensor dimensions.

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The LX5 was revealed 3 years before the 645Z which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic LX5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick overview of how the LX5 grades versus the 645Z in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic LX5 over the Pentax 645Z

 LX5 645Z 

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Panasonic LX5

 645Z LX5 
RevealedApril 2014December 2011More modern by 28 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic LX5 and Pentax 645Z

 LX5 645Z 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither includes Touch friendly screen

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry around your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic LX5 features exterior measurements of 110mm x 65mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Pentax 645Z has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") and a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic LX5 versus Pentax 645Z in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the LX5 compared to the 645Z.

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the LX5 and 645Z is 88 and 49 respectively.

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

Often, it is hard to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes just by researching a spec sheet. The picture below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the LX5 and 645Z.

As you can see, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The LX5 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax 645Z will result in greater detail because of its extra 41MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged LX5 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic LX5 Portrait photography info
Pentax 645Z Portrait photography info
41
focusing manually
exports RAW formats
low MP (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.63")
88
manual focus
high resolution (51 megapixels)
large sensor size (Medium format)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic LX5 Street photography information
Pentax 645Z Street photography information
59
has image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/1.63")
heavier than others in class (271 grams)
63
tilting screen
large sensor size (Medium format)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
great ISO range (204,800)
no image stabilization
heavier than average in class (1,550 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic LX5 Sports photography advice
Pentax 645Z Sports photography advice
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow frames per second (3.0 fps)
low MP (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/1.63")
lack of phase detect AF
71
high resolution (51 megapixels)
large sensor size (Medium format)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
low battery life (650 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic LX5 Travel photography highlights
Pentax 645Z Travel photography highlights
59
built-in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
lack of Time Lapse mode
heavier than others in class (271 grams)
low MP (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
51
environment proof
high resolution (51 megapixels)
low battery life (650 CIPA)
heavier than average in class (1,550g)
does not have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic LX5 Landscape photography info
Pentax 645Z Landscape photography info
52
focusing manually
fairly wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
low MP (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.63")
lack of Time Lapse mode
78
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3.2")
high resolution (51MP)
large sensor size (Medium format)
doesnt have low pass filter
great ISO range (204,800)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
2 card slots
no image stabilization
low battery life (650 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic LX5 Vlogging advice
Pentax 645Z Vlogging advice
29
fairly wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Optical)
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of mic port
heavier than others in class (271 grams)
27
includes face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external mic support
does not have a selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
heavier than average in class (1,550g)
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Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic LX5 and Pentax 645Z
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5Pentax 645Z
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Pentax 645Z
Category Small Sensor Compact Pro DSLR
Revealed 2011-12-15 2014-04-15
Physical type Compact Large SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine FHD PRIME III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.63" Medium format
Sensor dimensions 8.07 x 5.56mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor area 44.9mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 51 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 8256 x 6192
Maximum native ISO 12800 204800
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 23 27
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax 645AF2
Lens zoom range 24-90mm (3.8x) -
Max aperture f/2.0-3.3 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 6
Focal length multiplier 4.5 0.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3.2 inches
Display resolution 460k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.20 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Flash On, Flash On+Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync+Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, contrast-control-sync, high-speed sync, wireless sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/125 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p,24p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD Lite MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 271g (0.60 lbs) 1550g (3.42 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 65 x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 41 101
DXO Color Depth rating 19.6 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.8 14.7
DXO Low light rating 132 4505
Other
Battery life - 650 pictures
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Card slots Single Dual
Retail cost $294 $5,024