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Panasonic S3 vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs

Panasonic S3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2011
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Launched April 2014
  • Earlier Model is Pentax 645D
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Panasonic S3 vs Pentax 645Z Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Panasonic S3 versus Pentax 645Z, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Pro DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a significant gap between the resolutions of the S3 (14MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the S3 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) offer different sensor sizes.

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The S3 was unveiled 4 years earlier than the 645Z and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before diving into a thorough comparison, here is a brief view of how the S3 scores against the 645Z with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic S3 over the Pentax 645Z

 S3 645Z 

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Panasonic S3

 645Z S3 
LaunchedApril 2014January 2011More recent by 39 months
Manually focus Very exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3.2"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic S3 and Pentax 645Z

 S3 645Z 
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera, you'll have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic S3 has outside dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Pentax 645Z has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") having a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic S3 versus Pentax 645Z in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the S3 compared to the 645Z.

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the S3 and 645Z is 96 and 49 respectively.

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to imagine the difference between sensor measurements merely by looking at specs. The visual below might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the S3 and 645Z.

All in all, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The S3 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh more challenging and the Pentax 645Z will give you greater detail having an extra 37MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older S3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S3 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic S3
Portrait photography with Pentax 645Z
28
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
no manual mode
can't use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
88
focusing manually
sensor resolution is high (51MP)
large sensor size (Medium format)
has face detection focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic S3 Street photography highlights
Pentax 645Z Street photography highlights
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (117 grams)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
63
tilting screen
large sensor size (Medium format)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
above average ISO range (204,800)
lack of image stabilization
heavier than competitors (1,550 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic S3 Sports photography information
Pentax 645Z Sports photography information
35
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
71
sensor resolution is high (51 megapixels)
large sensor size (Medium format)
has tracking autofocus
environment proofing
supports phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery (650 per charge)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic S3
Travel photography with Pentax 645Z
68
lighter than competition (117 grams)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
decently wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
51
environment proofing
sensor resolution is high (51MP)
bad battery (650 per charge)
heavier than competitors (1,550g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic S3 Landscape photography factors
Pentax 645Z Landscape photography factors
38
decently wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
no manual mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse mode
78
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2 inch)
sensor resolution is high (51MP)
large sensor size (Medium format)
no low pass filter
above average ISO range (204,800)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
two card slots
lack of image stabilization
bad battery (650 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic S3 Vlogging info
Pentax 645Z Vlogging info
31
decently wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (117g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone port
27
has face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external mic socket
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
heavier than competitors (1,550 grams)
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Panasonic S3 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S3 and Pentax 645Z
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3Pentax 645Z
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 Pentax 645Z
Class Small Sensor Compact Pro DSLR
Launched 2011-01-05 2014-04-15
Physical type Compact Large SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine IV PRIME III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Medium format
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 51MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Full resolution 4320 x 3240 8256 x 6192
Max native ISO 6400 204800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 11 27
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax 645AF2
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.1-5.6 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 6
Focal length multiplier 5.9 0.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.7 inches 3.2 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 2.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.30 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, 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
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/125 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30fps), 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)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic 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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 117 gr (0.26 pounds) 1550 gr (3.42 pounds)
Physical dimensions 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 101
DXO Color Depth score not tested 26.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.7
DXO Low light score not tested 4505
Other
Battery life 250 pictures 650 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Card slots Single Dual
Launch price $110 $5,024