Panasonic FH7 vs Pentax Q-S1

The following is a thorough overview of the Panasonic FH7 and Pentax Q-S1, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the FH7 (16MP) and Q-S1 (12MP) and the FH7 (1/2.3") and Q-S1 (1/1.7") provide totally different sensor sizing.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The FH7 was brought out 3 years prior to the Q-S1 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH7 being a Compact camera and the Pentax Q-S1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a brief summation of how the FH7 matches up against the Q-S1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 and Pentax Q-S1. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic FH7 Gallery and Pentax Q-S1 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera often, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH7 features outer measurements of 95mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Pentax Q-S1 has proportions of 105mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 203 grams (0.45 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FH7 and Pentax Q-S1 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the FH7 versus the Q-S1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FH7 and Q-S1 is 96 and 92 respectively.

Sometimes, it's hard to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions purely by looking at technical specs. The picture here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the FH7 and Q-S1.

As you have seen, both of those cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The FH7 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Panasonic FH7 will resolve more detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged FH7 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.