Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax 645Z

In this article, we are evaluating the Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax 645Z, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Pro DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the SZ7 (14MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the SZ7 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) feature different sensor sizes.

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The SZ7 was brought out 3 years before the 645Z and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before diving through a in-depth comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the SZ7 matches up versus the 645Z in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 & Pentax 645Z. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic SZ7 Gallery & Pentax 645Z Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera regularly, you need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic SZ7 has got physical dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs) and the Pentax 645Z has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") with a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax 645Z in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the SZ7 and the 645Z.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ7 and 645Z is 95 and 49 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing merely by seeing specs. The photograph below should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ7 and 645Z.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The SZ7 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Pentax 645Z will show greater detail having its extra 37 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a little more aggressively. The older SZ7 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.