Panasonic FH8 vs Pentax 645Z

Below, we are evaluating the Panasonic FH8 and Pentax 645Z, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Pro DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the FH8 (16MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the FH8 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The FH8 was revealed 3 years earlier than the 645Z which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before delving in to a full comparison, below is a brief summary of how the FH8 grades against the 645Z when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 and Pentax 645Z. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FH8 Gallery and Pentax 645Z Gallery.

If you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FH8 provides outside dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs) while the Pentax 645Z has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") having a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic FH8 and Pentax 645Z in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the FH8 vs the 645Z.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FH8 and 645Z is 96 and 49 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizes merely by looking through specs. The image below will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH8 and 645Z.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The FH8 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Pentax 645Z will render extra detail because of its extra 35 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged FH8 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.