Clicky

Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
91
Imaging
37
Features
46
Overall
40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Panasonic ZS10
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 219g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Announced January 2011
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ20 / Lumix DMC-TZ22
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Launched June 2013
  • Earlier Model is Pentax K-5
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

Its time to examine more in depth at the Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the ZS10 (14MP) and the K-5 II (16MP) is relatively comparable but the ZS10 (1/2.3") and K-5 II (APS-C) come with totally different sensor measurements.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The ZS10 was unveiled 3 years prior to the K-5 II and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS10 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summary of how the ZS10 matches up against the K-5 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS10 over the Pentax K-5 II

 ZS10 K-5 II 
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Panasonic ZS10

 K-5 II ZS10 
LaunchedJune 2013January 2011More recent by 28 months
Focus manually More precise focus
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS10 and Pentax K-5 II

 ZS10 K-5 II 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to lug around your camera, you should take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS10 features physical dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 219 grams (0.48 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 II has specifications of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the ZS10 against the K-5 II.

Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS10 and K-5 II is 91 and 60 respectively.

Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements only by seeing technical specs. The visual here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS10 and K-5 II.

As you can tell, both cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ZS10 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-5 II will produce greater detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots far more aggressively. The older ZS10 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS10
Portrait photography with Pentax K-5 II
30
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
no manual focus
can't use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
74
focusing manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detect focus
supports RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic ZS10
Street photography with Pentax K-5 II
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides focus via touch
lighter than competition (219 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
screen is fixed
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS10 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-5 II Sports photography highlights
47
amazing zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
offers tracking focus
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
terrible battery pack (260 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
79
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking focus
environment sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS10 Travel photography advice
Pentax K-5 II Travel photography advice
67
lighter than competition (219g)
provides focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (24mm)
very long reach (384mm)
missing Timelapse mode
terrible battery pack (260 per charge)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
65
environment sealing
MP count good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is not selfie friendly
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS10 Landscape photography details
Pentax K-5 II Landscape photography details
42
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
terrible battery pack (260 per charge)
missing Timelapse mode
79
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS10 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Vlogging camera
34
reasonably wide (24mm)
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (219 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
missing microphone jack
33
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes microphone support
display is not selfie friendly
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS10 and Pentax K-5 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 Pentax K-5 II
Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ20 / Lumix DMC-TZ22 -
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Announced 2011-01-25 2013-06-04
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine FHD 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 14MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Peak resolution 4320 x 3240 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 51200
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Min enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 23 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 24-384mm (16.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focusing distance 3cm -
Available lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 460 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 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.00 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 219g (0.48 pounds) 760g (1.68 pounds)
Dimensions 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 82
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 1235
Other
Battery life 260 photos 980 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $350 $830