Panasonic FP1 vs Pentax K-3

Lets take a closer look at the Panasonic FP1 and Pentax K-3, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the FP1 (12MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the FP1 (1/2.3") and K-3 (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The FP1 was unveiled 5 years before the K-3 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FP1 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a short view of how the FP1 matches up against the K-3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 and Pentax K-3. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FP1 Gallery and Pentax K-3 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Panasonic FP1 comes with physical dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 has specifications of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FP1 and Pentax K-3 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the FP1 against the K-3.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the FP1 and K-3 is 95 and 59 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's hard to picture the contrast in sensor measurements only by checking out a spec sheet. The visual here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the FP1 and K-3.

As you can see, the two cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FP1 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh harder and the Pentax K-3 will provide extra detail having an extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older FP1 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.