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Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Panasonic FS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Raise to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 29-145mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2009
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Older Model is Pentax K-3
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Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Here is a detailed analysis of the Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II, one being a Ultracompact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the FS15 (12MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the FS15 (1/2.3") and K-3 II (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The FS15 was unveiled 7 years earlier than the K-3 II and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting in to a thorough comparison, below is a short summation of how the FS15 scores vs the K-3 II with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FS15 over the Pentax K-3 II

 FS15 K-3 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Panasonic FS15

 K-3 II FS15 
RevealedApril 2015January 2009Fresher by 76 months
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Display sizing3.2"2.7"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1037k230kSharper display (+807k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FS15 and Pentax K-3 II

 FS15 K-3 II 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither features Touch friendly display

Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry your camera frequently, you need to consider its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FS15 enjoys exterior dimensions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") and a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 II has proportions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the FS15 vs the K-3 II.

Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the FS15 and K-3 II is 95 and 59 respectively.

Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's hard to picture the contrast in sensor sizing only by looking through specs. The graphic here will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the FS15 and K-3 II.

All in all, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The FS15 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Pentax K-3 II will render extra detail having an extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images far more aggressively. The older FS15 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Portrait photography advice
Pentax K-3 II Portrait photography advice
21
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
79
you can focus manually
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Street photography details
Pentax K-3 II Street photography details
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
great high ISO (51,200)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FS15 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Sports photography camera
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second very slow (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
has phase detect auto focus
not so great battery (720 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Travel photography features
Pentax K-3 II Travel photography features
51
built-in flash
no Time Lapse recording
low resolution (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (29mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
56
environment sealing
MP count decent (24MP)
not so great battery (720 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FS15 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Landscape photography camera
28
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (29mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not available
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
no Time Lapse recording
78
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
no anti-alias filter
great high ISO (51,200)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
2 card slots
not so great battery (720 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FS15
Vlogging with Pentax K-3 II
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (29mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (640 x 480 pxls)
no mic support
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external microphone support
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Panasonic FS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS15 and Pentax K-3 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 Pentax K-3 II
Type Ultracompact Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2009-01-16 2015-04-23
Physical type Ultracompact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Prime III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 6016 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 1600 51200
Maximum boosted ISO 6400 -
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 27
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 29-145mm (5.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7" 3.2"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames per second 8.3 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync (available with dedicated external flash)
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 136 grams (0.30 lb) 800 grams (1.76 lb)
Dimensions 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 80
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.6
DXO Low light score not tested 1106
Other
Battery life - 720 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One Two
Cost at launch $180 $829