Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-500
95 Imaging
37 Features
41 Overall
38


64 Imaging
58 Features
70 Overall
62
Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs
(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
- Announced January 2012
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 51600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Pentax KAF2 Mount
- 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
- Revealed November 2013

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-500 Overview
Lets look a little more closely at the Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-500, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the SZ7 (14MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is fairly similar but the SZ7 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizes.

The SZ7 was unveiled 22 months earlier than the K-500 making them a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before diving right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick summation of how the SZ7 scores versus the K-500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-500 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 & Pentax K-500. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic SZ7 Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ7 over the Pentax K-500
SZ7 | K-500 |
---|
Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Panasonic SZ7
K-500 | SZ7 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | November 2013 | ![]() | January 2012 | Fresher by 22 months |
Focus manually | ![]() | Dial exact focus | ||
Display resolution | 921k | ![]() | 460k | Crisper display (+461k dot) |
Common features in the Panasonic SZ7 and Pentax K-500
SZ7 | K-500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display dimensions |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lacking selfie screen | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Lacking Touch display |
Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison
If you're planning to carry your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic SZ7 features external dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs) while the Pentax K-500 has dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") having a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).
Examine the Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the SZ7 compared to the K-500.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ7 and K-500 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, its hard to visualise the gap between sensor sizing simply by reviewing specifications. The graphic underneath will provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ7 and K-500.
Plainly, each of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SZ7 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Pentax K-500 will offer greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The older SZ7 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 | Pentax K-500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Panasonic | Pentax |
Model | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 | Pentax K-500 |
Class | Small Sensor Compact | Entry-Level DSLR |
Announced | 2012-01-09 | 2013-11-27 |
Body design | Compact | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | - | PRIME M |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 6.08 x 4.56mm | 23.7 x 15.7mm |
Sensor 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 |
Full resolution | 4320 x 3240 | 4928 x 3264 |
Max native ISO | 6400 | 51600 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Touch focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
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) | - |
Maximum aperture | f/3.1-5.9 | - |
Macro focus distance | 4cm | - |
Number of lenses | - | 151 |
Crop factor | 5.9 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 460k dot | 921k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Display tech | TFT Color LCD | TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Optical (pentaprism) |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.61x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 8 secs | 30 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/1600 secs | 1/6000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 10.0 frames/s | 6.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 5.60 m | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | - | 1/180 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | MPEG-4, AVCHD | MPEG-4, H.264 |
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 | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 133 gr (0.29 lb) | 646 gr (1.42 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") | 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | not tested | 79 |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 23.7 |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 13.1 |
DXO Low light score | not tested | 1087 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 220 images | 710 images |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | AA |
Battery model | - | 4 x AA |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Retail pricing | $199 | $600 |