Panasonic L1 vs Pentax K-30

Its time to look more in depth at the Panasonic L1 versus Pentax K-30, both Advanced DSLR cameras by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the L1 (7MP) and K-30 (16MP) and the L1 (Four Thirds) and K-30 (APS-C) have totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The L1 was manufactured 6 years prior to the K-30 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief summary of how the L1 matches up versus the K-30 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 & Pentax K-30. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic L1 Gallery & Pentax K-30 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic L1 comes with physical dimensions of 146mm x 87mm x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") having a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs) while the Pentax K-30 has dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

See the Panasonic L1 versus Pentax K-30 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the L1 and the K-30.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the L1 and K-30 is 65 and 63 respectively.

Often, it is tough to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements only by viewing specs. The visual below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the L1 and K-30.

All in all, both of those cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The L1 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-30 will render greater detail due to its extra 9MP. Greater resolution will help you crop pics way more aggressively. The older L1 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.