Clicky

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Panasonic S3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Introduced January 2011
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Revealed June 2013
  • Replaced the Pentax K-5
Photography Glossary

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Panasonic S3 and Pentax K-5 II, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The image resolution of the S3 (14MP) and the K-5 II (16MP) is very comparable but the S3 (1/2.3") and K-5 II (APS-C) posses different sensor measurements.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The S3 was introduced 3 years before the K-5 II and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving right into a full comparison, here is a brief summary of how the S3 grades vs the K-5 II with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic S3 over the Pentax K-5 II

 S3 K-5 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Panasonic S3

 K-5 II S3 
RevealedJune 2013January 2011More recent by 29 months
Manual focus More precise focus
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic S3 and Pentax K-5 II

 S3 K-5 II 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic S3 enjoys exterior measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 II has measurements 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 S3 and Pentax K-5 II in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the S3 versus the K-5 II.

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K-5 II size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S3 and K-5 II is 96 and 60 respectively.

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K-5 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements only by going through technical specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the S3 and K-5 II.

As you have seen, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The S3 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh tougher and the Pentax K-5 II will show extra detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older S3 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K-5 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic S3 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Portrait photography camera
28
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
74
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Panasonic S3 Street photography features
Pentax K-5 II Street photography features
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (117g)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
fixed screen
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Panasonic S3 Sports photography advice
Pentax K-5 II Sports photography advice
35
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
79
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Travel Comparison

Panasonic S3 Travel photography features
Pentax K-5 II Travel photography features
68
lighter than competitors (117g)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse function
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
65
environment sealing
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
screen is not selfie friendly
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic S3
Landscape photography with Pentax K-5 II
38
really wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
missing Timelapse function
79
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic S3 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Vlogging camera
31
really wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (117g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone socket
33
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external microphone jack
screen is not selfie friendly
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S3 and Pentax K-5 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 Pentax K-5 II
Class Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2011-01-05 2013-06-04
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine IV 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 area 27.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Peak resolution 4320 x 3240 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 11 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.1-5.6 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech TFT LCD TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 2.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt 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
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30fps), 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 MPEG-4 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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 117 grams (0.26 pounds) 760 grams (1.68 pounds)
Physical dimensions 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" 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 250 images 980 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
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 1 1
Price at release $110 $830