Clicky

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Panasonic ZR1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-200mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 158g - 98 x 55 x 26mm
  • Revealed July 2009
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-ZX1
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Released June 2013
  • Earlier Model is Pentax K-5
Photography Glossary

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

Below is a complete review of the Panasonic ZR1 versus Pentax K-5 II, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the ZR1 (12MP) and K-5 II (16MP) and the ZR1 (1/2.3") and K-5 II (APS-C) feature different sensor size.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The ZR1 was manufactured 4 years before the K-5 II and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving through a thorough comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the ZR1 grades versus the K-5 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZR1 over the Pentax K-5 II

 ZR1 K-5 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Panasonic ZR1

 K-5 II ZR1 
ReleasedJune 2013July 2009More recent by 46 months
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZR1 and Pentax K-5 II

 ZR1 K-5 II 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZR1 offers physical dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 II has measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic ZR1 versus Pentax K-5 II in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the ZR1 against the K-5 II.

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-5 II size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZR1 and K-5 II is 94 and 60 respectively.

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-5 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very tough to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements merely by checking specs. The visual below will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the ZR1 and K-5 II.

As you can plainly see, both cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The ZR1 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh harder and the Pentax K-5 II will resolve more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older ZR1 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-5 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 Portrait photography info
Pentax K-5 II Portrait photography info
21
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
74
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 Street photography info
Pentax K-5 II Street photography info
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
environment proofing
fixed screen
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Sports photography camera
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
low fps (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
79
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
environment proofing
has phase detect autofocus
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-5 II Travel photography highlights
57
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
65
environment proofing
megapixel count good (16MP)
flash built-in
display isn't selfie friendly
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 Landscape photography advice
Pentax K-5 II Landscape photography advice
32
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual mode not possible
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
79
has manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
environment proofing
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Vlogging camera
28
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not have a selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external mic support
33
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone socket
display isn't selfie friendly
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZR1 and Pentax K-5 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 Pentax K-5 II
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-ZX1 -
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2009-07-27 2013-06-04
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine V Prime II
Sensor type CCD 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 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Max resolution 4000 x 3000 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Minimum enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 11 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 25-200mm (8.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 3cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.10 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 158 gr (0.35 pounds) 760 gr (1.68 pounds)
Dimensions 98 x 55 x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 - 980 photos
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Retail cost $280 $830