Panasonic FZ300 vs Pentax K-7

Its time to look closer at the Panasonic FZ300 and Pentax K-7, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the FZ300 (12MP) and the K-7 (15MP) is fairly well matched but the FZ300 (1/2.3") and K-7 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor sizing.

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The FZ300 was revealed 5 years after the K-7 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FZ300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-7 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a brief overview of how the FZ300 grades versus the K-7 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 and Pentax K-7. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic FZ300 Gallery and Pentax K-7 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic FZ300 provides external dimensions of 132mm x 92mm x 117mm (5.2" x 3.6" x 4.6") having a weight of 691 grams (1.52 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-7 has sizing of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 750 grams (1.65 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic FZ300 and Pentax K-7 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the FZ300 versus the K-7.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FZ300 and K-7 is 59 and 60 respectively.

Sometimes, it's tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes purely by reading through a spec sheet. The pic here will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the FZ300 and K-7.

Clearly, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The FZ300 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Pentax K-7 will resolve extra detail because of its extra 3MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The more recent FZ300 will have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.