Pentax KP vs Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Pentax KP and the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Pentax KP was introduced in January 2017 and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X was introduced in January 2023. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax KP over Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X over Pentax KP.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Pentax KP and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X have 3.0" screens with 921k dot and 1,840k dot resolutions respectively. Pentax KP has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Pentax KP has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinderPanasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X has a built-in Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 3,680k dot resolution. They both have 100% coverage.

Pentax KP features a 24.32 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 366.6 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 819,200. Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X features a 24.2 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.6 x 23.8 mm and a total area of 566.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200 and expands to 50 - 204,800 in boosted mode.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Pentax KP is equipped with PRIME IV processor and can take pictures up to 6016 x 4000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4608 x 3072, 3072 x 2048, 1920 x 1280 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X is equipped with Venus Engine processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution.

Lens Mount

Pentax KP has Pentax K_AF2 lens mount and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X has Leica L lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Pentax KP its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5. Due to Full Frame sensor in Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Low-Pass Filter on Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

In-Body Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) (5 stops of compensation in Pentax KP and 5.5 stops of compensation in Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when cameras are paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz on Pentax KP, Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac/b/g/n 2.4/5 GHz on Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X

Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Pentax KP comes with D-LI109 battery pack with battery life of 390 shots and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X comes with DMW-BLJ31 battery pack with battery life of 370 shots.

External Storage Slots

Pentax KP has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slots.

Shutter

Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/24000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/6000 sec with mechanical shutter on Pentax KP, and up to 1/8000 sec on Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X. Pentax KP can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps. Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X can shoot continuously up to 30.0 fps with electronic shutter and up to 9.0 fps with mechanical shutter.

Focusing

Pentax KP has 27 (25 cross-type) focusing points and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X has 779 focusing points. Pentax KP has detection range from -3 to +18 EV and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X has detection range from -6 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Pentax KP and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X range from -3 to +20 EV and 0 to +18 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Pentax KP and ±5 EV range on Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax KP and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X.

Flash

Pentax KP has a built-in flash with maximum range of 6.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec on Pentax KP and 1/250 sec on Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X.

Pentax KP body has dimensions of 132 x 101 x 76 mm (5.2 x 3.98 x 2.99") and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X body has dimensions of 134 x 102 x 90 mm (5.29 x 4.03 x 3.55"). Pentax KP weighs 703 g (1.55 lb / 24.80 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X weighs 740 g (1.63 lb / 26.10 oz).

Pentax KP

Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II X

132 mm

101 mm

134 mm

102 mm

101 mm

102 mm

76 mm

90 mm