Panasonic FZ35 vs Pentax K-70

Its time to take a closer look at the Panasonic FZ35 and Pentax K-70, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the FZ35 (12MP) and K-70 (24MP) and the FZ35 (1/2.3") and K-70 (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizing.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The FZ35 was announced 7 years before the K-70 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FZ35 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-70 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the FZ35 matches up versus the K-70 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 and Pentax K-70. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic FZ35 Gallery and Pentax K-70 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FZ35 provides physical measurements of 118mm x 76mm x 89mm (4.6" x 3.0" x 3.5") having a weight of 397 grams (0.88 lbs) while the Pentax K-70 has dimensions of 126mm x 93mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 688 grams (1.52 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FZ35 and Pentax K-70 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have at the time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the FZ35 compared to the K-70.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the FZ35 and K-70 is 72 and 62 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizing purely by going through specs. The graphic here might give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the FZ35 and K-70.

All in all, both the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FZ35 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-70 will produce more detail with its extra 12MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics way more aggressively. The older FZ35 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.