Panasonic ZS40 vs Pentax K-5

Its time to examine more closely at the Panasonic ZS40 vs Pentax K-5, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the ZS40 (18MP) and the K-5 (16MP) is fairly similar but the ZS40 (1/2.3") and K-5 (APS-C) feature different sensor measurements.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The ZS40 was unveiled 3 years after the K-5 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick view of how the ZS40 matches up versus the K-5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 and Pentax K-5. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS40 Gallery and Pentax K-5 Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS40 offers external measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 has measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic ZS40 vs Pentax K-5 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the ZS40 compared to the K-5.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS40 and K-5 is 90 and 60 respectively.

Typically, its hard to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions simply by reading a spec sheet. The picture underneath will help offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS40 and K-5.

Clearly, both the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ZS40 having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Panasonic ZS40 will offer extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics far more aggressively. The more modern ZS40 provides a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.