Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax MX-1

Its time to look a little more closely at the Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax MX-1, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the FZ80 (18MP) and MX-1 (12MP) and the FZ80 (1/2.3") and MX-1 (1/1.7") posses totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The FZ80 was introduced 3 years later than the MX-1 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax MX-1 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple summary of how the FZ80 scores against the MX-1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 & Pentax MX-1. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FZ80 Gallery & Pentax MX-1 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Panasonic FZ80 provides outer measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") and a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) and the Pentax MX-1 has specifications of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax MX-1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. The following is a front view size comparison of the FZ80 and the MX-1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FZ80 and MX-1 is 63 and 84 respectively.

Sometimes, it's hard to envision the difference between sensor measurements merely by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph here should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the FZ80 and MX-1.

As you can see, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FZ80 having a tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Panasonic FZ80 will give you extra detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The newer FZ80 will have an advantage in sensor tech.