Panasonic FH8 vs Pentax K20D

Its time to examine more in depth at the Panasonic FH8 and Pentax K20D, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the FH8 (16MP) and the K20D (15MP) is pretty comparable but the FH8 (1/2.3") and K20D (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The FH8 was introduced 3 years later than the K20D and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K20D being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a quick summation of how the FH8 scores vs the K20D for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 & Pentax K20D. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH8 Gallery & Pentax K20D Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FH8 offers exterior measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs) and the Pentax K20D has dimensions of 142mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FH8 and Pentax K20D in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at the time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the FH8 and the K20D.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the FH8 and K20D is 96 and 59 respectively.

Generally, it is very difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizing simply by going through technical specs. The graphic here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the FH8 and K20D.

As you can tell, both of those cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FH8 with its smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Panasonic FH8 will provide more detail using its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The newer FH8 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.