Pentax K-5 vs Pentax S1

Following is a complete analysis of the Pentax K-5 vs Pentax S1, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are built by Pentax. The image resolution of the K-5 (16MP) and the S1 (14MP) is very comparable but the K-5 (APS-C) and S1 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The K-5 was manufactured 2 months before the S1 so they are of a similar generation. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the K-5 matches up vs the S1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax K-5 and Pentax Optio S1. The entire galleries are available at Pentax K-5 Gallery and Pentax S1 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and size. The Pentax K-5 enjoys outer dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs) while the Pentax S1 has specifications of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Pentax K-5 vs Pentax S1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the K-5 against the S1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the K-5 and S1 is 60 and 93 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizes merely by going through a spec sheet. The image here will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the K-5 and S1.

As you can see, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The K-5 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Pentax K-5 will provide extra detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively.