Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Below is a thorough assessment of the Panasonic ZR1 and Pentax K-5 IIs, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the ZR1 (12MP) and K-5 IIs (16MP) and the ZR1 (1/2.3") and K-5 IIs (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The ZR1 was launched 4 years prior to the K-5 IIs and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a short summation of how the ZR1 scores versus the K-5 IIs in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 and Pentax K-5 IIs. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic ZR1 Gallery and Pentax K-5 IIs Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZR1 has outside measurements 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 IIs has proportions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZR1 and Pentax K-5 IIs in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use during that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the ZR1 and the K-5 IIs.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZR1 and K-5 IIs is 94 and 60 respectively.

Typically, it can be hard to envision the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading through technical specs. The photograph below should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the ZR1 and K-5 IIs.

As you can tell, both of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ZR1 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Pentax K-5 IIs will give extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop images a little more aggressively. The older ZR1 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.