Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-5 II

Following is a complete assessment of the Panasonic SZ7 versus Pentax K-5 II, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the SZ7 (14MP) and the K-5 II (16MP) is pretty comparable but the SZ7 (1/2.3") and K-5 II (APS-C) come with different sensor sizes.

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The SZ7 was announced 17 months earlier than the K-5 II which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the SZ7 matches up vs the K-5 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 & Pentax K-5 II. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic SZ7 Gallery & Pentax K-5 II Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic SZ7 comes with external measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 II has measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic SZ7 versus Pentax K-5 II in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select at the time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the SZ7 against the K-5 II.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ7 and K-5 II is 95 and 60 respectively.

Normally, its difficult to imagine the difference in sensor sizes merely by checking out a spec sheet. The image below will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ7 and K-5 II.

As you can see, the 2 cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The SZ7 using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-5 II will produce greater detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SZ7 will be behind in sensor innovation.