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Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-7

Portability
95
Imaging
38
Features
34
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 front
 
Pentax K-7 front
Portability
60
Imaging
54
Features
69
Overall
60

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-7 Key Specs

Panasonic SZ5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 104 x 58 x 21mm
  • Launched July 2012
Pentax K-7
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 2000 (Push to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 750g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Announced October 2009
  • Replacement is Pentax K-5
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Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-7 Overview

Following is a thorough overview of the Panasonic SZ5 versus Pentax K-7, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the SZ5 (14MP) and the K-7 (15MP) is pretty comparable but the SZ5 (1/2.3") and K-7 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor size.

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The SZ5 was introduced 2 years after the K-7 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-7 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a quick view of how the SZ5 scores vs the K-7 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ5 over the Pentax K-7

 SZ5 K-7 
AnnouncedJuly 2012October 2009More modern by 34 months

Reasons to pick Pentax K-7 over the Panasonic SZ5

 K-7 SZ5 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic SZ5 and Pentax K-7

 SZ5 K-7 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen size
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch screen Absent Touch screen

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-7 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic SZ5 comes with outside dimensions of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) while the Pentax K-7 has dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 750 grams (1.65 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic SZ5 versus Pentax K-7 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that moment. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the SZ5 vs the K-7.

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-7 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ5 and K-7 is 95 and 60 respectively.

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-7 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-7 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to envision the gap in sensor sizes only by checking out technical specs. The picture underneath will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ5 and K-7.

As you can tell, both of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The SZ5 using its smaller sensor will make achieving bokeh more challenging and the Pentax K-7 will show greater detail using its extra 1MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more recent SZ5 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-7 sensor size comparison

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-7 as a Portrait photography camera
34
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
comes with face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
72
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (15 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 Street photography details
Pentax K-7 Street photography details
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (136 grams)
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 Sports photography features
Pentax K-7 Sports photography features
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
69
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (15MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
environment proof
sensor has phase detect AF
slow frames per second (5.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 Travel photography information
Pentax K-7 Travel photography information
70
lighter than average (136 grams)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (25mm)
great reach (250mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
does not have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
64
environment proof
sensor resolution is decent (15 megapixels)
built-in flash
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax K-7 Landscape photography highlights
42
rather wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse function
77
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (15 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 Vlogging info
Pentax K-7 Vlogging info
32
rather wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focus
lighter than average (136g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone support
25
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
screen is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone jack
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Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic SZ5 and Pentax K-7
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5Pentax K-7
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 Pentax K-7
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Launched 2012-07-18 2009-10-02
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Prime II
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 15 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4320 x 3240 4672 x 3104
Max native ISO 1600 2000
Max boosted ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 23 11
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 25-250mm (10.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.1-5.9 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT Screen LCD TFT color LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames per sec 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 5.60 m 13.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720p ( 30,25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 1536 x 1024 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 136 grams (0.30 lb) 750 grams (1.65 lb)
Physical dimensions 104 x 58 x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 61
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 10.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 536
Other
Battery life 250 photos 980 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/MMC
Storage slots 1 1
Launch cost $195 $599