Panasonic FZ40 vs Pentax MX-1

Its time to take a closer look at the Panasonic FZ40 vs Pentax MX-1, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. The image resolution of the FZ40 (14MP) and the MX-1 (12MP) is fairly comparable but the FZ40 (1/2.3") and MX-1 (1/1.7") offer different sensor size.

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The FZ40 was released 3 years prior to the MX-1 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax MX-1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short summation of how the FZ40 scores vs the MX-1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 & Pentax MX-1. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic FZ40 Gallery & Pentax MX-1 Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera often, you should factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FZ40 features external dimensions of 120mm x 80mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") accompanied by a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs) whilst the Pentax MX-1 has proportions of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") and a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FZ40 vs Pentax MX-1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the FZ40 vs the MX-1.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the FZ40 and MX-1 is 68 and 84 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to picture the contrast in sensor dimensions just by seeing specifications. The picture below may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the FZ40 and MX-1.

Plainly, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The FZ40 because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Panasonic FZ40 will provide more detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The more aged FZ40 will be behind in sensor technology.