Panasonic S3 vs Pentax K10D

Lets look much closer at the Panasonic S3 and Pentax K10D, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the S3 (14MP) and K10D (10MP) and the S3 (1/2.3") and K10D (APS-C) offer different sensor sizing.

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The S3 was brought out 4 years after the K10D which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K10D being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple summary of how the S3 grades against the K10D in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 and Pentax K10D. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic S3 Gallery and Pentax K10D Gallery.

For those who are intending to travel with your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic S3 enjoys physical measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Pentax K10D has proportions of 142mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") along with a weight of 793 grams (1.75 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic S3 and Pentax K10D in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the S3 versus the K10D.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the S3 and K10D is 96 and 59 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to imagine the difference in sensor dimensions simply by looking through specs. The image below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the S3 and K10D.

All in all, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The S3 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Panasonic S3 will provide you with extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The fresher S3 should have a benefit in sensor technology.