Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax K100D

The following is a thorough comparison of the Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax K100D, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the LX5 (10MP) and K100D (6MP) and the LX5 (1/1.63") and K100D (APS-C) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The LX5 was unveiled 5 years after the K100D which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic LX5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K100D being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a short highlight of how the LX5 matches up versus the K100D in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 & Pentax K100D. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic LX5 Gallery & Pentax K100D Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera, you need to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic LX5 offers exterior measurements of 110mm x 65mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Pentax K100D has sizing of 129mm x 93mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8") and a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

See the Panasonic LX5 vs Pentax K100D in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the LX5 compared to the K100D.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the LX5 and K100D is 88 and 64 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions just by looking through a spec sheet. The image below might provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the LX5 and K100D.

Clearly, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The LX5 using its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Panasonic LX5 will render more detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more modern LX5 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.