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Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-S2

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front
 
Pentax K-S2 front
Portability
64
Imaging
64
Features
82
Overall
71

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-S2 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
  • Launched January 2012
Pentax K-S2
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 678g - 123 x 91 x 73mm
  • Introduced February 2015
  • Superseded the Pentax K-S1
Photography Glossary

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-S2 Overview

Following is a extended review of the Panasonic S2 versus Pentax K-S2, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the S2 (14MP) and K-S2 (20MP) and the S2 (1/2.3") and K-S2 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The S2 was brought out 4 years prior to the K-S2 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic S2 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the S2 grades versus the K-S2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Pentax K-S2

 S2 K-S2 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-S2 over the Panasonic S2

 K-S2 S2 
IntroducedFebruary 2015January 2012More modern by 37 months
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Panasonic S2 and Pentax K-S2

 S2 K-S2 
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-S2 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic S2 has exterior dimensions of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") and a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs) while the Pentax K-S2 has dimensions of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") having a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic S2 versus Pentax K-S2 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the S2 against the K-S2.

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-S2 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the S2 and K-S2 is 96 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-S2 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-S2 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's tough to see the contrast in sensor sizes simply by researching specs. The picture here will give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the S2 and K-S2.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The S2 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-S2 will result in greater detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged S2 will be behind in sensor tech.

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-S2 sensor size comparison

Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic S2 Portrait photography information
Pentax K-S2 Portrait photography information
33
megapixel count good (14MP)
supports face detection focusing
no manual focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
78
focusing manually
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic S2 Street photography advice
Pentax K-S2 Street photography advice
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (112g)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
72
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
above average high ISO (51,200)
more heavy than competition (678 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic S2 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-S2 as a Sports photography camera
39
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
better than average battery pack (280 per charge)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
70
great max shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (20MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports tracking focus
environment proof
sensor has phase detect auto focus
continuous shooting slow (5.4 frames per second)
bad battery (410 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic S2 Travel photography features
Pentax K-S2 Travel photography features
70
better than average battery pack (280 CIPA)
lighter than average (112g)
megapixel count good (14MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not have a selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
65
environment proof
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
bad battery (410 CIPA)
more heavy than competition (678g)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic S2 Landscape photography features
Pentax K-S2 Landscape photography features
41
fairly wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
better than average battery pack (280 CIPA)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inch)
no manual control
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Timelapse recording
77
focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
does not have anti aliasing filter
above average high ISO (51,200)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
bad battery (410 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic S2 Vlogging details
Pentax K-S2 Vlogging details
32
fairly wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focusing
lighter than average (112 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
does not have a selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone socket
71
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes microphone socket
more heavy than competition (678g)
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Panasonic S2 vs Pentax K-S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S2 and Pentax K-S2
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2Pentax K-S2
General Information
Make Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 Pentax K-S2
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2012-01-09 2015-02-10
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - PRIME MII
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4320 x 3240 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 6400 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 23 11
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 -
Available lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600s 1/6000s
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames/s 5.4 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.30 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on, flash on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual flash
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 112 gr (0.25 lb) 678 gr (1.49 lb)
Physical dimensions 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") 123 x 91 x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 280 photographs 410 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI109
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Retail price $109 $581