Panasonic FZ200 vs Pentax K-S1

Here is a extensive overview of the Panasonic FZ200 and Pentax K-S1, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the FZ200 (12MP) and K-S1 (20MP) and the FZ200 (1/2.3") and K-S1 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The FZ200 was revealed 3 years before the K-S1 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FZ200 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-S1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the FZ200 scores versus the K-S1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 & Pentax K-S1. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FZ200 Gallery & Pentax K-S1 Gallery.

If you're intending to carry your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FZ200 offers external dimensions of 125mm x 87mm x 110mm (4.9" x 3.4" x 4.3") accompanied by a weight of 588 grams (1.30 lbs) and the Pentax K-S1 has dimensions of 121mm x 93mm x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") and a weight of 558 grams (1.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FZ200 and Pentax K-S1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose during that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the FZ200 compared to the K-S1.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FZ200 and K-S1 is 65 and 69 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing just by looking at technical specs. The photograph here might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the FZ200 and K-S1.

As you can tell, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FZ200 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-S1 will give greater detail because of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older FZ200 is going to be behind in sensor tech.