Panasonic ZS80 vs Pentax K-3 II

Its time to look closer at the Panasonic ZS80 vs Pentax K-3 II, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the ZS80 (20MP) and the K-3 II (24MP) is fairly comparable but the ZS80 (1/2.3") and K-3 II (APS-C) feature totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The ZS80 was revealed 2 years later than the K-3 II and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS80 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going through a full comparison, below is a quick view of how the ZS80 matches up versus the K-3 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80 & Pentax K-3 II. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS80 Gallery & Pentax K-3 II Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS80 offers physical measurements of 112mm x 69mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") and a weight of 327 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 II has sizing of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic ZS80 vs Pentax K-3 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the ZS80 compared to the K-3 II.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS80 and K-3 II is 86 and 59 respectively.

Usually, it can be difficult to see the contrast in sensor measurements purely by seeing specifications. The graphic below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS80 and K-3 II.

To sum up, both of those cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The ZS80 having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-3 II will produce extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The newer ZS80 is going to have an advantage in sensor tech.