Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax K-S1

Lets look a little more closely at the Panasonic LX5 versus Pentax K-S1, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the LX5 (10MP) and K-S1 (20MP) and the LX5 (1/1.63") and K-S1 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The LX5 was manufactured 3 years earlier than the K-S1 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic LX5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-S1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving through a in depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the LX5 matches up vs the K-S1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 & Pentax K-S1. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic LX5 Gallery & Pentax K-S1 Gallery.

In case you're going to lug around your camera often, you will have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic LX5 comes with physical 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) while the Pentax K-S1 has dimensions of 121mm x 93mm x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") along with a weight of 558 grams (1.23 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic LX5 versus Pentax K-S1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the LX5 versus the K-S1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the LX5 and K-S1 is 88 and 69 respectively.

Generally, it is hard to see the difference between sensor measurements simply by looking at technical specs. The graphic underneath may offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the LX5 and K-S1.

As you can tell, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The LX5 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-S1 will resolve extra detail due to its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images much more aggressively. The older LX5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.