Panasonic ZS80 vs Pentax ist DL2

Lets take a more detailed look at the Panasonic ZS80 and Pentax ist DL2, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the ZS80 (20MP) and ist DL2 (6MP) and the ZS80 (1/2.3") and ist DL2 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS80 was unveiled 12 years later than the ist DL2 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS80 being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the ZS80 grades against the ist DL2 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80 & Pentax ist DL2. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS80 Gallery & Pentax ist DL2 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS80 comes with physical dimensions of 112mm x 69mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") with a weight of 327 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Pentax ist DL2 has proportions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic ZS80 and Pentax ist DL2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select during that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the ZS80 versus the ist DL2.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS80 and ist DL2 is 86 and 69 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to see the contrast in sensor measurements merely by seeing technical specs. The visual here should give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS80 and ist DL2.

As you can tell, both of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The ZS80 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic ZS80 will show extra detail having an extra 14MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The fresher ZS80 will have a benefit in sensor technology.