Panasonic FZ40 vs Pentax K-1

Below is a extended overview of the Panasonic FZ40 and Pentax K-1, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the FZ40 (14MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the FZ40 (1/2.3") and K-1 (Full frame) offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The FZ40 was unveiled 6 years before the K-1 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the FZ40 grades against the K-1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 & Pentax K-1. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FZ40 Gallery & Pentax K-1 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FZ40 comes with exterior measurements of 120mm x 80mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") having a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs) and the Pentax K-1 has measurements of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") with a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FZ40 and Pentax K-1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the FZ40 against the K-1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the FZ40 and K-1 is 68 and 55 respectively.

Generally, it is very tough to see the difference in sensor measurements just by viewing a spec sheet. The visual here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the FZ40 and K-1.

As you can see, each of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FZ40 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Pentax K-1 will provide you with more detail having an extra 22 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures more aggressively. The older FZ40 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.