Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax 645Z

In this write-up, we are analyzing the Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax 645Z, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Pro DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the FH20 (14MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the FH20 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) come with totally different sensor size.

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The FH20 was released 5 years earlier than the 645Z and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before we go in to a complete comparison, below is a concise summary of how the FH20 scores vs the 645Z in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 & Pentax 645Z. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic FH20 Gallery & Pentax 645Z Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry your camera regularly, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH20 enjoys physical measurements of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") having a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) while the Pentax 645Z has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") along with a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

See the Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax 645Z in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the FH20 compared to the 645Z.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the FH20 and 645Z is 93 and 49 respectively.

Generally, it is hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing simply by reading specs. The visual here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the FH20 and 645Z.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FH20 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax 645Z will deliver extra detail as a result of its extra 37 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older FH20 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.