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Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30

Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 front
 
Pentax K-30 front
Portability
63
Imaging
57
Features
66
Overall
60

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30 Key Specs

Panasonic FH20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-224mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 100 x 56 x 28mm
  • Launched January 2010
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-FS30
Pentax K-30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 650g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Announced October 2012
  • Refreshed by Pentax K-50
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Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30 Overview

Below is a extended comparison of the Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the FH20 (14MP) and the K-30 (16MP) is very well matched but the FH20 (1/2.3") and K-30 (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizes.

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The FH20 was released 3 years earlier than the K-30 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving in to a full comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the FH20 scores versus the K-30 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH20 over the Pentax K-30

 FH20 K-30 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-30 over the Panasonic FH20

 K-30 FH20 
AnnouncedOctober 2012January 2010More recent by 34 months
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FH20 and Pentax K-30

 FH20 K-30 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera, you need to consider its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH20 provides outside dimensions of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") and a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) while the Pentax K-30 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select during that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the FH20 against the K-30.

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FH20 and K-30 is 93 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements purely by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph below will give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the FH20 and K-30.

As you can see, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FH20 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Pentax K-30 will resolve extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos far more aggressively. The older FH20 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Portrait photography details
Pentax K-30 Portrait photography details
28
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
74
manual focus
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Street photography features
Pentax K-30 Street photography features
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic FH20
Sports photography with Pentax K-30
34
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
67
great max shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has tracking focus
environment sealing
has phase detect auto focus
continuous shooting slow (6.0 frames per second)
bad battery power (410 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic FH20
Travel photography with Pentax K-30
64
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
60
environment sealing
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
bad battery power (410 CIPA)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Landscape photography advice
Pentax K-30 Landscape photography advice
37
rather wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
no Time Lapse mode
73
manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
bad battery power (410 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-30 Vlogging highlights
28
rather wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external mic socket
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
missing mic jack
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Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax K-30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH20 and Pentax K-30
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20Pentax K-30
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 Pentax K-30
Also Known as Lumix DMC-FS30 -
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Launched 2010-01-06 2012-10-29
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Prime M
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4320 x 3240 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 9 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 28-224mm (8.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Total lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/6000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 5.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 5.80 m (Auto ISO) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-eye,Slow Sync, Slow Sync+ Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 178g (0.39 lb) 650g (1.43 lb)
Dimensions 100 x 56 x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 79
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 1129
Other
Battery life - 410 photographs
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI109,4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Launch cost $179 $525