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Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
81
Features
74
Overall
78

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs

Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Boost to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Launched April 2009
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Introduced April 2014
  • Replaced the Pentax 645D
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Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax 645Z Overview

Below is a comprehensive review of the Panasonic FS42 versus Pentax 645Z, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Pro DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the FS42 (10MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the FS42 (1/2.5") and 645Z (Medium format) come with different sensor dimensions.

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The FS42 was brought out 6 years prior to the 645Z and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the FS42 grades versus the 645Z with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Pentax 645Z

 FS42 645Z 

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Panasonic FS42

 645Z FS42 
IntroducedApril 2014April 2009More recent by 60 months
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3.2"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.7")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FS42 and Pentax 645Z

 FS42 645Z 
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera, you will need to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic FS42 provides exterior measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs) while the Pentax 645Z has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") and a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FS42 versus Pentax 645Z in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the FS42 against the 645Z.

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FS42 and 645Z is 95 and 49 respectively.

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is tough to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements only by checking technical specs. The graphic underneath will provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the FS42 and 645Z.

As you have seen, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FS42 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh harder and the Pentax 645Z will resolve greater detail having its extra 41 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures much more aggressively. The older FS42 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FS42 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax 645Z as a Portrait photography camera
19
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
resolution not great (10MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.5")
lack of RAW files
88
you can focus manually
MP count excellent (51 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
includes face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FS42
Street photography with Pentax 645Z
47
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.5")
lack of RAW files
maximum ISO low (1,000)
63
screen tilts
sensor size is large (Medium format)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
above average ISO range (204,800)
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competition (1,550g)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Sports photography highlights
Pentax 645Z Sports photography highlights
16
max fps very slow (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.5")
lack of phase detect autofocus
71
MP count excellent (51MP)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery (650 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Travel photography details
Pentax 645Z Travel photography details
51
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
51
weather sealing
MP count excellent (51 megapixels)
terrible battery (650 CIPA)
heavier than competition (1,550 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Landscape photography features
Pentax 645Z Landscape photography features
22
manual focus not available
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
manual mode not possible
no image stabilization
resolution not great (10MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.5")
maximum ISO low (1,000)
lack of RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
78
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inch)
MP count excellent (51MP)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
doesnt have low pass filter
above average ISO range (204,800)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
two card slots
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery (650 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FS42 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax 645Z as a Vlogging camera
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not have a selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
does not have microphone support
27
includes face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external mic socket
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competition (1,550g)
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Panasonic FS42 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS42 and Pentax 645Z
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42Pentax 645Z
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 Pentax 645Z
Category Ultracompact Pro DSLR
Launched 2009-04-17 2014-04-15
Physical type Ultracompact Large SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - PRIME III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.5" Medium format
Sensor dimensions 5.744 x 4.308mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor surface area 24.7mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 51MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 8256 x 6192
Max native ISO 1000 204800
Max boosted ISO 6400 -
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 27
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax 645AF2
Lens zoom range 33-132mm (4.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 6
Crop factor 6.3 0.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5 inches 3.2 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 2.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.30 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync 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
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/125 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported 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)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 132g (0.29 lbs) 1550g (3.42 lbs)
Dimensions 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 101
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 4505
Other
Battery life - 650 pictures
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC card, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Card slots Single Dual
Cost at launch $580 $5,024