Panasonic SZ7 vs Pentax K10D

Its time to look closer at the Panasonic SZ7 and Pentax K10D, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the SZ7 (14MP) and K10D (10MP) and the SZ7 (1/2.3") and K10D (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The SZ7 was unveiled 5 years after the K10D which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K10D being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summary of how the SZ7 matches up versus the K10D in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 & Pentax K10D. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic SZ7 Gallery & Pentax K10D Gallery.

When you are looking to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic SZ7 has physical measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs) and the Pentax K10D has dimensions of 142mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") along with a weight of 793 grams (1.75 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic SZ7 and Pentax K10D in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the SZ7 vs the K10D.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ7 and K10D is 95 and 59 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizes purely by going over specs. The pic underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ7 and K10D.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The SZ7 having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Panasonic SZ7 will offer greater detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The newer SZ7 should have an edge with regard to sensor technology.