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Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
71
Imaging
40
Features
34
Overall
37
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Panasonic LZ20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Push to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-525mm (F3.1-5.8) lens
  • 499g - 120 x 76 x 80mm
  • Revealed July 2012
  • New Model is Panasonic LZ30
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Announced April 2015
  • Succeeded the Pentax K-3
Photography Glossary

Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Here is a detailed review of the Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the LZ20 (16MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the LZ20 (1/2.3") and K-3 II (APS-C) possess different sensor sizes.

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The LZ20 was launched 3 years before the K-3 II and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic LZ20 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple view of how the LZ20 grades against the K-3 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic LZ20 over the Pentax K-3 II

 LZ20 K-3 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Panasonic LZ20

 K-3 II LZ20 
AnnouncedApril 2015July 2012Fresher by 33 months
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kClearer screen (+577k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic LZ20 and Pentax K-3 II

 LZ20 K-3 II 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic LZ20 features outside dimensions of 120mm x 76mm x 80mm (4.7" x 3.0" x 3.1") having a weight of 499 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 II has proportions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Check the Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the LZ20 against the K-3 II.

Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the LZ20 and K-3 II is 71 and 59 respectively.

Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its tough to picture the gap in sensor sizing purely by researching specifications. The visual underneath will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the LZ20 and K-3 II.

Plainly, both of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The LZ20 because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-3 II will render extra detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older LZ20 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 Portrait photography information
Pentax K-3 II Portrait photography information
37
megapixel count good (16MP)
has face detect focus
no manual focus
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
79
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Street photography camera
45
image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
heavier than average in class (499 grams)
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
good ISO range (51,200)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-3 II Sports photography highlights
47
great zoom range (25-525mm 21.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
has tracking focus
better than average battery life (380 per charge)
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features tracking focus
weather sealing
comes with phase detect autofocus
bad battery power (720 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic LZ20
Travel photography with Pentax K-3 II
58
better than average battery life (380 CIPA)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
great reach (525mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
heavier than average in class (499g)
does not offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
56
weather sealing
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
bad battery power (720 shots)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography highlights
45
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
better than average battery life (380 CIPA)
no manual focus
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
lack of Time Lapse function
78
has manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3.2")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
no anti aliasing filter
good ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
has dual storage slots
bad battery power (720 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 Vlogging features
Pentax K-3 II Vlogging features
25
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focus
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
does not offer selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of mic socket
heavier than average in class (499 grams)
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have microphone jack
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
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Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic LZ20 and Pentax K-3 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20 Pentax K-3 II
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2012-07-18 2015-04-23
Body design SLR-like (bridge) Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Prime III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 6016 x 4000
Highest native ISO 1600 51200
Highest boosted ISO 6400 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 9 27
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 25-525mm (21.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.1-5.8 -
Macro focus distance 2cm -
Total lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3.2 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT Screen LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 8.3fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.80 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync (available with dedicated external flash)
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720p ( 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 499 grams (1.10 lbs) 800 grams (1.76 lbs)
Dimensions 120 x 76 x 80mm (4.7" x 3.0" x 3.1") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 80
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.6
DXO Low light score not tested 1106
Other
Battery life 380 photographs 720 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 Dual
Retail price $250 $829