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Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D

Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 front
 
Pentax K100D front
Portability
64
Imaging
45
Features
36
Overall
41

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D Key Specs

Panasonic SZ1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 131g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Revealed January 2012
Pentax K100D
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 660g - 129 x 93 x 70mm
  • Released December 2006
  • Renewed by Pentax K100D S
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Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D Overview

Here is a comprehensive review of the Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the SZ1 (16MP) and K100D (6MP) and the SZ1 (1/2.3") and K100D (APS-C) posses different sensor size.

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The SZ1 was launched 5 years later than the K100D and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic SZ1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K100D being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a full comparison, here is a concise overview of how the SZ1 scores vs the K100D with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ1 over the Pentax K100D

 SZ1 K100D 
ReleasedJanuary 2012December 2006Fresher by 63 months
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution230k210kCrisper display (+20k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax K100D over the Panasonic SZ1

 K100D SZ1 
Focus manually More accurate focusing

Common features in the Panasonic SZ1 and Pentax K100D

 SZ1 K100D 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch display Neither features Touch display

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic SZ1 enjoys physical measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs) and the Pentax K100D has sizing of 129mm x 93mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8") with a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

See the Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select during that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the SZ1 versus the K100D.

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ1 and K100D is 95 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D top view buttons comparison

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very hard to picture the difference in sensor sizing only by looking through specifications. The photograph here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ1 and K100D.

Plainly, each of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The SZ1 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Panasonic SZ1 will render extra detail utilizing its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will help you crop images way more aggressively. The newer SZ1 provides an advantage in sensor tech.

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D sensor size comparison

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic SZ1 Portrait photography advice
Pentax K100D Portrait photography advice
34
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
offers face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
51
manual focus
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no liveview feature
MP count low (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Panasonic SZ1 Street photography highlights
Pentax K100D Street photography highlights
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (131g)
screen is fixed
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
58
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no articulating screen
more heavy than competitors (660 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic SZ1 Sports photography factors
Pentax K100D Sports photography factors
40
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
47
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
no liveview feature
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
MP count low (6MP)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic SZ1 Travel photography features
Pentax K100D Travel photography features
70
lighter than competitors in class (131g)
MP count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
42
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse recording
more heavy than competitors (660g)
MP count low (6MP)
does not posses selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic SZ1 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K100D as a Landscape photography camera
43
really wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
lack of manual focus
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
does not have Time Lapse recording
52
manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
no liveview feature
MP count low (6MP)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic SZ1
Vlogging with Pentax K100D
32
really wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focusing
lighter than competitors in class (131g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have mic jack
9
lack of video recording
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Panasonic SZ1 vs Pentax K100D Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic SZ1 and Pentax K100D
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1Pentax K100D
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 Pentax K100D
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2012-01-09 2006-12-03
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 6MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 3008 x 2008
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 23 11
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax KAF
Lens focal range 25-250mm (10.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.1-5.9 -
Macro focus range 4cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.5 inches
Display resolution 230k dots 210k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 96 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.57x
Features
Min shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 1.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.60 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 None
Video file format MPEG-4 -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 131g (0.29 lb) 660g (1.46 lb)
Physical dimensions 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") 129 x 93 x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 250 photos -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/MMC card
Card slots One One
Retail price $179 $0