Panasonic ZS70 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic ZS70 versus Pentax K-5 IIs, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the ZS70 (20MP) and K-5 IIs (16MP) and the ZS70 (1/2.3") and K-5 IIs (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The ZS70 was introduced 3 years after the K-5 IIs which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS70 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the ZS70 grades versus the K-5 IIs in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS70 and Pentax K-5 IIs. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS70 Gallery and Pentax K-5 IIs Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS70 enjoys external dimensions of 112mm x 67mm x 41mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.6") along with a weight of 322 grams (0.71 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 IIs has proportions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Check the Panasonic ZS70 versus Pentax K-5 IIs in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the ZS70 vs the K-5 IIs.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS70 and K-5 IIs is 87 and 60 respectively.

Typically, it can be tough to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions simply by going through a spec sheet. The picture below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS70 and K-5 IIs.

As you can see, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ZS70 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Panasonic ZS70 will provide more detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The fresher ZS70 provides an edge with regard to sensor innovation.