Panasonic FH27 vs Pentax 645Z

Lets examine more closely at the Panasonic FH27 and Pentax 645Z, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Pro DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the FH27 (16MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the FH27 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) feature totally different sensor size.

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The FH27 was released 4 years prior to the 645Z and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH27 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before diving in to a complete comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the FH27 scores vs the 645Z in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH27 & Pentax 645Z. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic FH27 Gallery & Pentax 645Z Gallery.

If you are going to carry your camera regularly, you will have to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH27 features external dimensions of 99mm x 57mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") having a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Pentax 645Z has proportions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") with a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FH27 and Pentax 645Z in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use during that time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the FH27 compared to the 645Z.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the FH27 and 645Z is 94 and 49 respectively.

In many cases, it can be tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizing simply by reading through a spec sheet. The visual here will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the FH27 and 645Z.

As you can see, both the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The FH27 because of its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Pentax 645Z will resolve extra detail as a result of its extra 35MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older FH27 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.