Clicky

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-1 II

Portability
95
Imaging
38
Features
34
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 front
 
Pentax K-1 Mark II front
Portability
55
Imaging
77
Features
82
Overall
79

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-1 II Key Specs

Panasonic SZ5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Raise to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 104 x 58 x 21mm
  • Introduced July 2012
Pentax K-1 II
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 819200
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF4 Mount
  • 1010g - 137 x 110 x 86mm
  • Launched February 2018
  • Earlier Model is Pentax K-1
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-1 II Overview

Below is a extensive review of the Panasonic SZ5 and Pentax K-1 II, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the SZ5 (14MP) and K-1 II (36MP) and the SZ5 (1/2.3") and K-1 II (Full frame) enjoy different sensor measurements.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The SZ5 was brought out 6 years prior to the K-1 II and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-1 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving in to a full comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the SZ5 grades versus the K-1 II with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ5 over the Pentax K-1 II

 SZ5 K-1 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-1 II over the Panasonic SZ5

 K-1 II SZ5 
LaunchedFebruary 2018July 2012More recent by 68 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k230kSharper screen (+807k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic SZ5 and Pentax K-1 II

 SZ5 K-1 II 
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-1 II Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic SZ5 provides exterior measurements of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) while the Pentax K-1 II has sizing of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

See the Panasonic SZ5 and Pentax K-1 II in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the SZ5 against the K-1 II.

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-1 II size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ5 and K-1 II is 95 and 55 respectively.

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-1 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-1 II Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements just by seeing a spec sheet. The visual below will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ5 and K-1 II.

Clearly, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SZ5 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-1 II will provide extra detail having its extra 22MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older SZ5 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-1 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-1 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-1 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic SZ5
Portrait photography with Pentax K-1 II
34
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
offers face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
86
you can focus manually
MP count fantastic (36 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with face detect focus
supports RAW files
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Street Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 Street photography factors
Pentax K-1 II Street photography factors
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (136g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
70
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
good ISO range (819,200)
heavier than average in class (1,010 grams)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic SZ5
Sports photography with Pentax K-1 II
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
77
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count fantastic (36MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with tracking focus
environment sealing
comes with phase detect auto focus
low fps (4.4 fps)
terrible battery pack (670 CIPA)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic SZ5
Travel photography with Pentax K-1 II
70
lighter than competition in class (136g)
decent megapixels (14MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
no Time Lapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
53
environment sealing
MP count fantastic (36 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (670 shots)
heavier than average in class (1,010g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 Landscape photography advice
Pentax K-1 II Landscape photography advice
42
pretty wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
82
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF4 mount)
decent sized screen (3.2 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count fantastic (36MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
does not have anti aliasing filter
good ISO range (819,200)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
has dual storage slots
terrible battery pack (670 shots)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-1 II as a Vlogging camera
32
pretty wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect autofocus
lighter than competition in class (136g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic support
32
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have mic jack
screen isn't selfie friendly
heavier than average in class (1,010 grams)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-1 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic SZ5 and Pentax K-1 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5Pentax K-1 Mark II
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 Pentax K-1 Mark II
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2012-07-18 2018-02-22
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - PRIME IV
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 36MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 4320 x 3240 7360 x 4912
Maximum native ISO 1600 819200
Maximum enhanced ISO 6400 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 23 33
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax KAF4
Lens focal range 25-250mm (10.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.1-5.9 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Total lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3.2 inch
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT Screen LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 8s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/1600s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames per second 4.4 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.60 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/200s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720p ( 30,25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 136 gr (0.30 pounds) 1010 gr (2.23 pounds)
Dimensions 104 x 58 x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") 137 x 110 x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 250 shots 670 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Storage slots Single 2
Launch cost $195 $1,737