Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K100D

Here is a comprehensive comparison of the Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K100D, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference among the image resolutions of the SZ3 (16MP) and K100D (6MP) and the SZ3 (1/2.3") and K100D (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

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The SZ3 was brought out 6 years later than the K100D and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K100D being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a short overview of how the SZ3 scores versus the K100D when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 & Pentax K100D. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic SZ3 Gallery & Pentax K100D Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic SZ3 features physical dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Pentax K100D has proportions of 129mm x 93mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax K100D in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select at the time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the SZ3 versus the K100D.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the SZ3 and K100D is 96 and 64 respectively.

Oftentimes, its difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizing merely by going through technical specs. The photograph below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ3 and K100D.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SZ3 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Panasonic SZ3 will produce more detail having its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The newer SZ3 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.