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Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
41
Overall
38
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Panasonic SZ7
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 133g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2012
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Released June 2013
  • Succeeded the Pentax K-5
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Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ7 over the Pentax K-5 II

 SZ7 K-5 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Panasonic SZ7

 K-5 II SZ7 
ReleasedJune 2013January 2012More modern by 17 months
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen resolution921k460kCrisper screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic SZ7 and Pentax K-5 II

 SZ7 K-5 II 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-5 II size comparison

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

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-5 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

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.

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-5 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic SZ7 Portrait photography information
Pentax K-5 II Portrait photography information
33
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
includes face detect focusing
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
74
manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
saves RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Panasonic SZ7 Street photography highlights
Pentax K-5 II Street photography highlights
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (133 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic SZ7 Sports photography features
Pentax K-5 II Sports photography features
43
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
includes tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
79
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
environment sealing
supports phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic SZ7 Travel photography details
Pentax K-5 II Travel photography details
70
lighter than competition (133g)
good megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
65
environment sealing
good MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic SZ7 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Landscape photography camera
42
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
no manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
lack of Timelapse mode
79
manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic SZ7 Vlogging details
Pentax K-5 II Vlogging details
35
relatively wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (133g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of microphone port
33
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external microphone port
display isn't selfie friendly
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Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic SZ7 and Pentax K-5 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 Pentax K-5 II
Class Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Launched 2012-01-09 2013-06-04
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4320 x 3240 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 23 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 25-250mm (10.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.1-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 4cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech TFT Color LCD TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.60 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 133 gr (0.29 lb) 760 gr (1.68 lb)
Dimensions 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 82
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.1
DXO Low light score not tested 1235
Other
Battery life 220 pictures 980 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $199 $830