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Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Panasonic S2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 112g - 98 x 57 x 21mm
  • Revealed January 2012
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Introduced June 2013
  • Earlier Model is Pentax K-5
Photography Glossary

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

Below is a extended assessment of the Panasonic S2 and Pentax K-5 II, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the S2 (14MP) and the K-5 II (16MP) is pretty similar but the S2 (1/2.3") and K-5 II (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The S2 was announced 17 months before the K-5 II which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic S2 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a short introduction of how the S2 matches up vs the K-5 II with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Pentax K-5 II

 S2 K-5 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Panasonic S2

 K-5 II S2 
IntroducedJune 2013January 2012More recent by 17 months
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic S2 and Pentax K-5 II

 S2 K-5 II 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch screen Absent Touch screen

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic S2 comes with outside dimensions of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 II has proportions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic S2 and Pentax K-5 II in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the S2 and the K-5 II.

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-5 II size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the S2 and K-5 II is 96 and 60 respectively.

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-5 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its hard to visualise the difference between sensor measurements merely by going over specifications. The visual here should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the S2 and K-5 II.

To sum up, each of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The S2 with its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Pentax K-5 II will offer more detail with its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older S2 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-5 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic S2 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Portrait photography camera
33
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
comes with face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
74
manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has face detection focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic S2
Street photography with Pentax K-5 II
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (112g)
no articulating screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic S2
Sports photography with Pentax K-5 II
39
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
great battery (280 per charge)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
79
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
comes with phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic S2 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Travel photography camera
70
great battery (280 CIPA)
lighter than average in class (112 grams)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.1)
65
weather proof
megapixel count good (16MP)
flash built-in
does not feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic S2
Landscape photography with Pentax K-5 II
41
fairly wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
great battery (280 shots)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
does not have Time Lapse recording
79
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic S2 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Vlogging camera
32
fairly wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection autofocus
lighter than average in class (112 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external mic socket
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external microphone jack
does not feature selfie friendly display
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Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S2 and Pentax K-5 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 Pentax K-5 II
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2012-01-09 2013-06-04
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Prime II
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2
Peak resolution 4320 x 3240 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 51200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 23 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.1-6.5 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT Color LCD TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Min shutter speed 8s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/1600s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.30 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone 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 112 gr (0.25 pounds) 760 gr (1.68 pounds)
Physical dimensions 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 82
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 1235
Other
Battery life 280 images 980 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $109 $830