Panasonic LX7 vs Pentax 645Z

The following is a complete overview of the Panasonic LX7 and Pentax 645Z, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Pro DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the LX7 (10MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the LX7 (1/1.7") and 645Z (Medium format) use different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The LX7 was announced 18 months before the 645Z which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic LX7 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the LX7 matches up vs the 645Z when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 & Pentax 645Z. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic LX7 Gallery & Pentax 645Z Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you need to think about its weight and size. The Panasonic LX7 offers external dimensions of 111mm x 68mm x 46mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.8") and a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs) whilst the Pentax 645Z has specifications of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") and a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic LX7 and Pentax 645Z in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the LX7 vs the 645Z.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the LX7 and 645Z is 86 and 49 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's hard to picture the difference between sensor dimensions purely by looking at specs. The pic below might provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the LX7 and 645Z.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The LX7 with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF tougher and the Pentax 645Z will resolve more detail with its extra 41 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged LX7 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.