Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K10D

The following is a comprehensive overview of the Panasonic SZ5 and Pentax K10D, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the SZ5 (14MP) and K10D (10MP) and the SZ5 (1/2.3") and K10D (APS-C) provide different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ5 was introduced 5 years after the K10D which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K10D being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the SZ5 grades against the K10D with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 and Pentax K10D. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic SZ5 Gallery and Pentax K10D Gallery.

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera, you should take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic SZ5 comes with outside dimensions of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) and the Pentax K10D has proportions of 142mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") and a weight of 793 grams (1.75 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic SZ5 and Pentax K10D in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the SZ5 versus the K10D.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ5 and K10D is 95 and 59 respectively.

Sometimes, it is hard to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by seeing a spec sheet. The pic below might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ5 and K10D.

As you can see, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SZ5 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF harder and the Panasonic SZ5 will show greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more modern SZ5 provides an edge in sensor technology.