Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax K-30

Following is a comprehensive analysis of the Panasonic FX78 versus Pentax K-30, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the FX78 (12MP) and K-30 (16MP) and the FX78 (1/2.3") and K-30 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The FX78 was released 21 months before the K-30 making the cameras a generation away from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FX78 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief overview of how the FX78 grades versus the K-30 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 & Pentax K-30. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic FX78 Gallery & Pentax K-30 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FX78 offers physical dimensions of 100mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) while the Pentax K-30 has measurements of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") having a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FX78 versus Pentax K-30 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at the time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the FX78 vs the K-30.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FX78 and K-30 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Quite often, it can be hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes simply by looking at specs. The pic below will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the FX78 and K-30.

All in all, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The FX78 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh more challenging and the Pentax K-30 will resolve extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged FX78 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.