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Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax RZ18

Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 front
 
Pentax Optio RZ18 front
Portability
92
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax RZ18 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
  • Revealed January 2010
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-FS30
Pentax RZ18
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-450mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 97 x 61 x 33mm
  • Launched September 2011
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Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax RZ18 Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax RZ18, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the FH20 (14MP) and the RZ18 (16MP) is very well matched and they use the same exact sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The FH20 was unveiled 20 months prior to the RZ18 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short overview of how the FH20 scores vs the RZ18 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH20 over the Pentax RZ18

 FH20 RZ18 

Reasons to pick Pentax RZ18 over the Panasonic FH20

 RZ18 FH20 
LaunchedSeptember 2011January 2010More recent by 20 months
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FH20 and Pentax RZ18

 FH20 RZ18 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax RZ18 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera, you have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH20 offers physical measurements of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) and the Pentax RZ18 has proportions of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

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Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the FH20 versus the RZ18.

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax RZ18 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the FH20 and RZ18 is 93 and 92 respectively.

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax RZ18 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax RZ18 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements just by checking specs. The graphic below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the FH20 and RZ18.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but not the same resolution. You should expect to see the Pentax RZ18 to give you greater detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution can 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 RZ18 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Portrait photography advice
Pentax RZ18 Portrait photography advice
28
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
36
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
no manual control
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Street photography details
Pentax RZ18 Street photography details
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
lighter than competition (178g)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Sports photography information
Pentax RZ18 Sports photography information
34
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14MP)
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
47
incredible zoom range (25-450mm 18.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Travel photography highlights
Pentax RZ18 Travel photography highlights
64
decent megapixels (14MP)
flash built-in
really wide (28mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
does not have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
71
lighter than competition (178g)
weather sealing
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long zoom (450mm)
lack of Timelapse function
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax RZ18 Landscape photography highlights
37
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
lack of manual mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
does not have Time Lapse function
49
focusing manually
rather wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
weather sealing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Vlogging information
Pentax RZ18 Vlogging information
28
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic socket
30
rather wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (178g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone port
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Panasonic FH20 vs Pentax RZ18 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH20 and Pentax RZ18
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20Pentax Optio RZ18
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 Pentax Optio RZ18
Other name Lumix DMC-FS30 -
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2010-01-06 2011-09-12
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4320 x 3240 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 80 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-224mm (8.0x) 25-450mm (18.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.3-5.9 f/3.5-5.9
Macro focus range 5cm 4cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.80 m (Auto ISO) 2.80 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
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) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 178 grams (0.39 pounds) 178 grams (0.39 pounds)
Dimensions 100 x 56 x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") 97 x 61 x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery model - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $179 $210