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Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K10D

Portability
95
Imaging
38
Features
34
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 front
 
Pentax K10D front
Portability
59
Imaging
48
Features
43
Overall
46

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K10D Key Specs

Panasonic SZ5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Push 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 K10D
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 793g - 142 x 101 x 70mm
  • Revealed December 2006
  • Successor is Pentax K20D
Photography Glossary

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K10D Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ5 over the Pentax K10D

 SZ5 K10D 
RevealedJuly 2012December 2006Newer by 69 months
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution230k210kSharper display (+20k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax K10D over the Panasonic SZ5

 K10D SZ5 
Manually focus More accurate focus

Common features in the Panasonic SZ5 and Pentax K10D

 SZ5 K10D 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K10D Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K10D size comparison

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

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K10D top view buttons comparison

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K10D Sensor Comparison

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.

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K10D sensor size comparison

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K10D Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K10D Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic SZ5
Portrait photography with Pentax K10D
34
megapixel count decent (14MP)
supports face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
52
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K10D as a Street photography camera
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (136g)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
64
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
weather proof
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 Sports photography features
Pentax K10D Sports photography features
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
supports tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
52
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
weather proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
no liveview
slow frames per second (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 Travel photography factors
Pentax K10D Travel photography factors
70
lighter than average (136 grams)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
missing Timelapse recording
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
49
weather proof
has built in flash
no Timelapse function
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 Landscape photography info
Pentax K10D Landscape photography info
42
rather wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
55
manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
weather proof
tiny screen (2.5")
no liveview
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic SZ5 Vlogging factors
Pentax K10D Vlogging factors
32
rather wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
lighter than average (136g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone jack
9
no video recording
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Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax K10D Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic SZ5 and Pentax K10D
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5Pentax K10D
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 Pentax K10D
Class Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2012-07-18 2006-12-15
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4320 x 3240 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 1600 1600
Highest boosted ISO 6400 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 23 11
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 25-250mm (10.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.1-5.9 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Available lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dots 210k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech TFT Screen LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.60 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Auto Red Eye
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720p ( 30,25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video data format MPEG-4 -
Microphone support
Headphone support
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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 136g (0.30 pounds) 793g (1.75 pounds)
Physical dimensions 104 x 58 x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") 142 x 101 x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 66
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.6
DXO Low light score not tested 522
Other
Battery life 250 images -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/MMC/SDHC card
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $195 $700