Panasonic LZ20 vs Pentax Q-S1

Lets look closer at the Panasonic LZ20 versus Pentax Q-S1, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the LZ20 (16MP) and Q-S1 (12MP) and the LZ20 (1/2.3") and Q-S1 (1/1.7") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The LZ20 was manufactured 24 months prior to the Q-S1 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic LZ20 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax Q-S1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short summation of how the LZ20 grades against the Q-S1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20 and Pentax Q-S1. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic LZ20 Gallery and Pentax Q-S1 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera often, you'll have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic LZ20 has outer dimensions of 120mm x 76mm x 80mm (4.7" x 3.0" x 3.1") along with a weight of 499 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Pentax Q-S1 has dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 203 grams (0.45 lbs).

See the Panasonic LZ20 versus Pentax Q-S1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the LZ20 and the Q-S1.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the LZ20 and Q-S1 is 71 and 92 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very difficult to picture the contrast between sensor measurements purely by checking a spec sheet. The photograph below may give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the LZ20 and Q-S1.

As you can see, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The LZ20 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Panasonic LZ20 will resolve extra detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older LZ20 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.