Panasonic FH8 vs Pentax 645D

Below, we are contrasting the Panasonic FH8 and Pentax 645D, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Pro DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the FH8 (16MP) and 645D (40MP) and the FH8 (1/2.3") and 645D (Medium format) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The FH8 was announced 23 months after the 645D making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645D being a Large SLR camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple view of how the FH8 scores vs the 645D when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 & Pentax 645D. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic FH8 Gallery & Pentax 645D Gallery.

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH8 provides external measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs) and the Pentax 645D has proportions of 156mm x 117mm x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7") along with a weight of 1480 grams (3.26 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FH8 and Pentax 645D in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the FH8 and the 645D.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the FH8 and 645D is 96 and 50 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is tough to envision the gap between sensor dimensions just by going over technical specs. The image below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the FH8 and 645D.

As you can tell, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The FH8 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Pentax 645D will deliver greater detail with its extra 24MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more modern FH8 will have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.