Pentax K-5 vs Pentax MX-1

On this page, we will be matching up the Pentax K-5 versus Pentax MX-1, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are built by Pentax. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the K-5 (16MP) and MX-1 (12MP) and the K-5 (APS-C) and MX-1 (1/1.7") have different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The K-5 was launched 3 years before the MX-1 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax MX-1 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short view of how the K-5 scores against the MX-1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax K-5 & Pentax MX-1. The complete galleries are provided at Pentax K-5 Gallery & Pentax MX-1 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Pentax K-5 comes with outside dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs) and the Pentax MX-1 has measurements of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") having a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs).

Analyze the Pentax K-5 versus Pentax MX-1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the K-5 against the MX-1.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the K-5 and MX-1 is 60 and 84 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizes only by looking at technical specs. The pic below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the K-5 and MX-1.

As you can tell, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The K-5 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Pentax K-5 will resolve extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged K-5 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.