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Panasonic LZ40 vs Pentax K-3

Portability
67
Imaging
45
Features
35
Overall
41
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ40 front
 
Pentax K-3 front
Portability
59
Imaging
65
Features
85
Overall
73

Panasonic LZ40 vs Pentax K-3 Key Specs

Panasonic LZ40
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Raise to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 22-924mm (F3.0-6.5) lens
  • 524g - 126 x 87 x 94mm
  • Revealed January 2014
  • Succeeded the Panasonic LZ30
Pentax K-3
(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
  • Launched April 2014
  • Newer Model is Pentax K-3 II
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Panasonic LZ40 vs Pentax K-3 Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Panasonic LZ40 and Pentax K-3, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the LZ40 (20MP) and the K-3 (24MP) is pretty close but the LZ40 (1/2.3") and K-3 (APS-C) use totally different sensor measurements.

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The LZ40 was manufactured 3 months prior to the K-3 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic LZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summation of how the LZ40 grades vs the K-3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic LZ40 over the Pentax K-3

 LZ40 K-3 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 over the Panasonic LZ40

 K-3 LZ40 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Screen sizing3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic LZ40 and Pentax K-3

 LZ40 K-3 
LaunchedJanuary 2014April 2014Same age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch screen Absent Touch screen

Panasonic LZ40 vs Pentax K-3 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Panasonic LZ40 has got outer dimensions of 126mm x 87mm x 94mm (5.0" x 3.4" x 3.7") and a weight of 524 grams (1.16 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 has specifications of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic LZ40 and Pentax K-3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the LZ40 vs the K-3.

Panasonic LZ40 vs Pentax K-3 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the LZ40 and K-3 is 67 and 59 respectively.

Panasonic LZ40 vs Pentax K-3 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic LZ40 vs Pentax K-3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is tough to envision the gap in sensor measurements only by looking through specifications. The photograph here should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the LZ40 and K-3.

To sum up, both the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The LZ40 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Pentax K-3 will render more detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs far more aggressively.

Panasonic LZ40 vs Pentax K-3 sensor size comparison

Panasonic LZ40 vs Pentax K-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic LZ40 vs Pentax K-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic LZ40 Portrait photography details
Pentax K-3 Portrait photography details
40
good resolution (20 megapixels)
features face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
external flash not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
79
manual focus
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic LZ40 Street photography features
Pentax K-3 Street photography features
45
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
more heavy than others (524 grams)
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
above average high ISO (51,200)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic LZ40 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-3 as a Sports photography camera
47
excellent zoom range (22-924mm 42.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
low frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery life (560 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic LZ40 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-3 Travel photography highlights
55
good resolution (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (22mm)
long reach (924mm)
missing Timelapse recording
more heavy than others (524g)
does not posses selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.0)
60
weather sealing
resolution is good (24MP)
has built in flash
not so great battery life (560 shots)
does not have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic LZ40 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-3 as a Landscape photography camera
44
quite wide (22mm)
screen is a good size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
77
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
above average high ISO (51,200)
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
two card slots
not so great battery life (560 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic LZ40
Vlogging with Pentax K-3
27
quite wide (22mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection autofocus
includes external microphone support
slow max aperture (f3.0)
does not posses selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
more heavy than others (524 grams)
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external microphone socket
does not have a selfie friendly display
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Panasonic LZ40 vs Pentax K-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic LZ40 and Pentax K-3
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ40Pentax K-3
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ40 Pentax K-3
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2014-01-06 2014-04-10
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Prime III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Max resolution 5152 x 3864 6016 x 4000
Max native ISO 1600 51200
Max enhanced ISO 6400 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 9 27
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 22-924mm (42.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.0-6.5 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3.2 inches
Resolution of display 460k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT LCD TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/1500s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 1.0 frames/s 8.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.80 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, on, off, red-eye, slow sync, slow sync + red-eye, trailing curtain sync, high speed, wireless, manual
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 524g (1.16 pounds) 800g (1.76 pounds)
Dimensions 126 x 87 x 94mm (5.0" x 3.4" x 3.7") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 80
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.4
DXO Low light score not tested 1216
Other
Battery life 320 images 560 images
Battery type 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
Card slots 1 Dual
Price at release $219 $639