Panasonic ZS80 vs Pentax K-30

The following is a extensive analysis of the Panasonic ZS80 and Pentax K-30, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the ZS80 (20MP) and K-30 (16MP) and the ZS80 (1/2.3") and K-30 (APS-C) come with different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The ZS80 was released 5 years after the K-30 which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS80 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summary of how the ZS80 matches up vs the K-30 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80 & Pentax K-30. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS80 Gallery & Pentax K-30 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera often, you'll have to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS80 comes with physical dimensions of 112mm x 69mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") along with a weight of 327 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Pentax K-30 has measurements of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS80 and Pentax K-30 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the ZS80 and the K-30.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS80 and K-30 is 86 and 63 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very hard to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions just by looking at specs. The image underneath will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS80 and K-30.

All in all, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The ZS80 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Panasonic ZS80 will give you extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more modern ZS80 should have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.