Panasonic FS12 vs Pentax K-30

Below is a extensive review of the Panasonic FS12 versus Pentax K-30, one being a Ultracompact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the FS12 (12MP) and K-30 (16MP) and the FS12 (1/2.3") and K-30 (APS-C) use different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The FS12 was brought out 4 years earlier than the K-30 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a complete comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the FS12 grades versus the K-30 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 and Pentax K-30. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic FS12 Gallery and Pentax K-30 Gallery.

If you are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic FS12 features external measurements of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Pentax K-30 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") having a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FS12 versus Pentax K-30 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the FS12 against the K-30.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the FS12 and K-30 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Often, it is tough to picture the gap between sensor measurements merely by checking specifications. The graphic here will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the FS12 and K-30.

To sum up, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FS12 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Pentax K-30 will give more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images a little more aggressively. The older FS12 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.