Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Lets take a closer look at the Panasonic S3 and Pentax K-5 IIs, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the S3 (14MP) and the K-5 IIs (16MP) is relatively close but the S3 (1/2.3") and K-5 IIs (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The S3 was manufactured 3 years before the K-5 IIs which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving through a in-depth comparison, below is a quick view of how the S3 scores against the K-5 IIs when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 & Pentax K-5 IIs. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic S3 Gallery & Pentax K-5 IIs Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic S3 features external measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 IIs has proportions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic S3 and Pentax K-5 IIs in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the S3 and the K-5 IIs.

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

Quite often, it's tough to see the difference in sensor sizes only by researching specifications. The pic below will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the S3 and K-5 IIs.

Plainly, the two cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The S3 due to its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Pentax K-5 IIs will result in greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged S3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.