Panasonic FZ1000 vs Pentax K-3

Its time to look a little more closely at the Panasonic FZ1000 versus Pentax K-3, one being a Large Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the FZ1000 (20MP) and the K-3 (24MP) is fairly well matched but the FZ1000 (1") and K-3 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The FZ1000 was released 3 months later than the K-3 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FZ1000 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short overview of how the FZ1000 matches up against the K-3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 and Pentax K-3. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic FZ1000 Gallery and Pentax K-3 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FZ1000 features external dimensions of 137mm x 99mm x 131mm (5.4" x 3.9" x 5.2") and a weight of 831 grams (1.83 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FZ1000 versus 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 working with at that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the FZ1000 and the K-3.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FZ1000 and K-3 is 55 and 59 respectively.

More often than not, it's tough to envision the gap between sensor measurements simply by checking specs. The visual below may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the FZ1000 and K-3.

All in all, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FZ1000 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-3 will give greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively.