Panasonic LX3 vs Pentax K-30

Lets look more in depth at the Panasonic LX3 versus Pentax K-30, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the LX3 (10MP) and K-30 (16MP) and the LX3 (1/1.63") and K-30 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The LX3 was brought out 5 years prior to the K-30 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic LX3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the LX3 matches up vs the K-30 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 and Pentax K-30. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic LX3 Gallery and Pentax K-30 Gallery.

If you are going to carry your camera regularly, you will need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic LX3 comes with external dimensions of 109mm x 60mm x 27mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) while the Pentax K-30 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic LX3 versus Pentax K-30 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the LX3 against the K-30.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the LX3 and K-30 is 91 and 63 respectively.

More often than not, it is hard to see the contrast in sensor sizing merely by researching technical specs. The visual underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the LX3 and K-30.

As you have seen, the two cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The LX3 due to its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-30 will provide you with greater detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older LX3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.