Panasonic ZS5 vs Pentax K-1 II

The following is a detailed comparison of the Panasonic ZS5 versus Pentax K-1 II, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the ZS5 (12MP) and K-1 II (36MP) and the ZS5 (1/2.3") and K-1 II (Full frame) offer different sensor measurements.

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The ZS5 was unveiled 8 years prior to the K-1 II which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-1 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the ZS5 grades against the K-1 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 & Pentax K-1 Mark II. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS5 Gallery & Pentax K-1 II Gallery.

In case you're going to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS5 comes with physical dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-1 II has dimensions of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") having a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS5 versus Pentax K-1 II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select at that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the ZS5 and the K-1 II.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the ZS5 and K-1 II is 92 and 55 respectively.

Often, it's difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by going over specifications. The pic below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS5 and K-1 II.

To sum up, the 2 cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The ZS5 with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF tougher and the Pentax K-1 II will offer you more detail having an extra 24MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged ZS5 is going to be behind in sensor technology.