Panasonic SZ5 vs Pentax KP

Below is a comprehensive assessment of the Panasonic SZ5 and Pentax KP, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the SZ5 (14MP) and KP (24MP) and the SZ5 (1/2.3") and KP (APS-C) come with different sensor size.

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The SZ5 was brought out 5 years before the KP and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax KP being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the SZ5 grades vs the KP with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 & Pentax KP. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic SZ5 Gallery & Pentax KP Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic SZ5 comes with external 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) while the Pentax KP has measurements of 132mm x 101mm x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 703 grams (1.55 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic SZ5 and Pentax KP in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at the time. Here is the front view size comparison of the SZ5 compared to the KP.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the SZ5 and KP is 95 and 61 respectively.

Oftentimes, its tough to visualize the gap in sensor measurements simply by viewing specifications. The visual below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ5 and KP.

To sum up, both of those cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SZ5 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Pentax KP will provide you with more detail having its extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a little more aggressively. The older SZ5 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.