Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax K-50
88 Imaging
35 Features
44 Overall
38


63 Imaging
58 Features
65 Overall
60
Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax K-50 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 12800
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-90mm (F2.0-3.3) lens
- 271g - 110 x 65 x 43mm
- Launched December 2011
- Replaced the Panasonic LX3
- Newer Model is Panasonic LX7
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 51600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/6000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Pentax KAF2 Mount
- 650g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
- Launched November 2013
- Earlier Model is Pentax K-30

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax K-50 Overview
Let's look more in depth at the Panasonic LX5 and Pentax K-50, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the LX5 (10MP) and K-50 (16MP) and the LX5 (1/1.63") and K-50 (APS-C) have different sensor sizes.

The LX5 was manufactured 23 months before the K-50 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic LX5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-50 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the LX5 grades vs the K-50 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax K-50 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 and Pentax K-50. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic LX5 Gallery and Pentax K-50 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic LX5 over the Pentax K-50
LX5 | K-50 |
---|
Reasons to pick Pentax K-50 over the Panasonic LX5
K-50 | LX5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | November 2013 | ![]() | December 2011 | More recent by 23 months |
Screen resolution | 921k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+461k dot) |
Common features in the Panasonic LX5 and Pentax K-50
LX5 | K-50 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very accurate focusing | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen size | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Same screen dimensions |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither offers selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Lack of Touch friendly screen |
Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax K-50 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic LX5 offers external dimensions of 110mm x 65mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-50 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).
Contrast the Panasonic LX5 and Pentax K-50 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the LX5 and the K-50.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the LX5 and K-50 is 88 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax K-50 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it is very difficult to imagine the difference in sensor measurements merely by looking through a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the LX5 and K-50.
Clearly, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The LX5 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh more challenging and the Pentax K-50 will render extra detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older LX5 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax K-50 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax K-50 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Pentax K-50 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Panasonic | Pentax |
Model type | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Pentax K-50 |
Category | Small Sensor Compact | Entry-Level DSLR |
Launched | 2011-12-15 | 2013-11-27 |
Body design | Compact | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | Venus Engine FHD | PRIME M |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/1.63" | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 8.07 x 5.56mm | 23.7 x 15.7mm |
Sensor surface area | 44.9mm² | 372.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 |
Peak resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4928 x 3264 |
Highest native ISO | 12800 | 51600 |
Min native ISO | 80 | 100 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 23 | 11 |
Cross type focus points | - | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | Pentax KAF2 |
Lens zoom range | 24-90mm (3.8x) | - |
Max aperture | f/2.0-3.3 | - |
Macro focusing distance | 1cm | - |
Available lenses | - | 151 |
Crop factor | 4.5 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Screen resolution | 460k dot | 921k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Screen technology | - | TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | Optical (pentaprism) |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.61x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/6000 seconds |
Continuous shutter speed | 3.0fps | 6.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 7.20 m | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | - | 1/180 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
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 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | AVCHD Lite | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | Optional |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 271 gr (0.60 lbs) | 650 gr (1.43 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 110 x 65 x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") | 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 41 | 79 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 19.6 | 23.7 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.8 | 13.0 |
DXO Low light rating | 132 | 1120 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 410 images |
Battery format | - | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | D-LI109 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Price at release | $294 | $610 |