Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-3

Here, we are reviewing the Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-3, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the FZ80 (18MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the FZ80 (1/2.3") and K-3 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The FZ80 was launched 2 years later than the K-3 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief summation of how the FZ80 matches up vs the K-3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 and Pentax K-3. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic FZ80 Gallery and Pentax K-3 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera often, you will need to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic FZ80 comes with outer measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") having a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 has specifications of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax K-3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the FZ80 versus the K-3.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FZ80 and K-3 is 63 and 59 respectively.

Typically, its hard to see the contrast in sensor measurements simply by viewing a spec sheet. The graphic here will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the FZ80 and K-3.

As you can see, the 2 cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FZ80 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Pentax K-3 will result in more detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The younger FZ80 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.