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Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
96
Imaging
40
Features
29
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Panasonic SZ3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 126g - 95 x 56 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2013
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • 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
  • Released June 2013
  • Earlier Model is Pentax K-5
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Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

Let's look more closely at the Panasonic SZ3 versus Pentax K-5 II, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The image resolution of the SZ3 (16MP) and the K-5 II (16MP) is fairly similar but the SZ3 (1/2.3") and K-5 II (APS-C) possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The SZ3 was announced 4 months before the K-5 II and they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the SZ3 scores against the K-5 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ3 over the Pentax K-5 II

 SZ3 K-5 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Panasonic SZ3

 K-5 II SZ3 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic SZ3 and Pentax K-5 II

 SZ3 K-5 II 
ReleasedJanuary 2013June 2013Similar generation
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic SZ3 has physical dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 II has measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic SZ3 versus Pentax K-5 II in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select at that moment. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the SZ3 and the K-5 II.

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K-5 II size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the SZ3 and K-5 II is 96 and 60 respectively.

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K-5 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is difficult to see the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading a spec sheet. The visual below will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ3 and K-5 II.

As you can see, both of those cameras posses the exact same MP but not the same sensor measurements. The SZ3 offers the tinier sensor which will make obtaining bokeh tougher.

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K-5 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic SZ3 Portrait photography advice
Pentax K-5 II Portrait photography advice
30
decent megapixels (16MP)
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
74
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic SZ3 Street photography advice
Pentax K-5 II Street photography advice
64
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (126g)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic SZ3 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Sports photography camera
41
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks 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)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic SZ3 Travel photography info
Pentax K-5 II Travel photography info
71
lighter than competition (126g)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
no Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
65
weather sealing
megapixel count good (16MP)
has built in flash
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic SZ3 Landscape photography factors
Pentax K-5 II Landscape photography factors
39
pretty wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is small (2.7")
manual mode not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
no Timelapse mode
79
has manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic SZ3 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Vlogging camera
31
pretty wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (126g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone port
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external microphone socket
display isn't selfie friendly
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Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic SZ3 and Pentax K-5 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 Pentax K-5 II
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2013-01-07 2013-06-04
Physical type 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 area 27.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max boosted ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Lowest boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 23 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 25-250mm (10.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.1-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT LCD TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/1600s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames per sec 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.10 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 126g (0.28 lbs) 760g (1.68 lbs)
Dimensions 95 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 82
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.1
DXO Low light score not tested 1235
Other
Battery life 250 photos 980 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $150 $830