Panasonic SZ8 vs Pentax 645Z
Portability
94 Imaging
40 Features
31 Overall
36
94 Imaging
40 Features
31 Overall
36
Portability
49 Imaging
80 Features
74 Overall
77
49 Imaging
80 Features
74 Overall
77
Panasonic SZ8 vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs
Panasonic SZ8
(Full Review)
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 1600 (Increase to 6400)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
- 159g - 100 x 60 x 27mm
- Revealed January 2014
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
(Full Review)
- 51MP - Medium format Sensor
- 3.2" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 204800
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Pentax 645AF2 Mount
- 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
- Announced April 2014
- Superseded the Pentax 645D
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On this page, we will be reviewing the Panasonic SZ8 and Pentax 645Z, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Pro DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the SZ8 (16MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the SZ8 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) boast different sensor dimensions.
Photography GlossaryThe SZ8 was launched 3 months prior to the 645Z and they are of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic SZ8 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.
Before we go right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise overview of how the SZ8 scores against the 645Z when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
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Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 & Pentax 645Z. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic SZ8 Gallery & Pentax 645Z Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ8 over the Pentax 645Z
| SZ8 | 645Z |
|---|
Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Panasonic SZ8
| 645Z | SZ8 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus |  | More precise focusing | ||
| Screen type | Tilting |  | Fixed | Tilting screen |
| Screen dimensions | 3.2" |  | 3" | Bigger screen (+0.2") |
| Screen resolution | 1037k |  | 460k | Sharper screen (+577k dot) |
Common features in the Panasonic SZ8 and Pentax 645Z
| SZ8 | 645Z | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | January 2014 |  | April 2014 | Similar age |
| Selfie screen |  | Missing selfie screen | ||
| Touch friendly screen |  | Missing Touch friendly screen |
Panasonic SZ8 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison
In case you're aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic SZ8 provides external measurements of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Pentax 645Z has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") accompanied by a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).
Check the Panasonic SZ8 and 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 the time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the SZ8 versus the 645Z.
Using size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ8 and 645Z is 94 and 49 respectively.
Panasonic SZ8 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it's difficult to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing specs. The pic below will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ8 and 645Z.
As you can plainly see, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SZ8 due to its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Pentax 645Z will offer you greater detail utilizing its extra 35 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures a bit more aggressively.
Panasonic SZ8 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder
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Portrait Comparison
Portrait photography with Panasonic SZ8
Portrait photography with Pentax 645Z
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
includes face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
manual focus
resolution is great (51 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
provides face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Panasonic SZ8 Street photography info
Pentax 645Z Street photography info
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (159 grams)
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
tilting screen
sensor size is large (Medium format)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
above average ISO range (204,800)
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than competition (1,550g)
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Sports photography with Panasonic SZ8
Sports photography with Pentax 645Z
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery pack (200 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
resolution is great (51MP)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
comes with phase detect auto focus
max fps very slow (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
low battery (650 per charge)
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Panasonic SZ8 Travel photography details
Pentax 645Z Travel photography details
lighter than competition in class (159g)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (24mm)
long zoom (288mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
not so great battery pack (200 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
weather sealing
resolution is great (51 megapixels)
low battery (650 CIPA)
more heavy than competition (1,550g)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Panasonic SZ8 Landscape photography advice
Pentax 645Z Landscape photography advice
rather wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not available
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
not so great battery pack (200 shots)
does not have Time Lapse recording
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
good sized screen (3.2")
resolution is great (51 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
no anti aliasing filter
above average ISO range (204,800)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
two card slots
does not have image stabilization
low battery (650 shots)
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Panasonic SZ8 Vlogging highlights
Pentax 645Z Vlogging highlights
rather wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect autofocus
lighter than competition in class (159g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have mic socket
provides face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external microphone socket
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than competition (1,550 grams)
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Panasonic SZ8 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications
| Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 | Pentax 645Z | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Panasonic | Pentax |
| Model type | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 | Pentax 645Z |
| Category | Small Sensor Superzoom | Pro DSLR |
| Revealed | 2014-01-06 | 2014-04-15 |
| Physical type | Compact | Large SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | Venus Engine | PRIME III |
| Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | Medium format |
| Sensor measurements | 6.08 x 4.56mm | 44 x 33mm |
| Sensor area | 27.7mm² | 1,452.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 51 megapixel |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 |
| Full resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 8256 x 6192 |
| Max native ISO | 1600 | 204800 |
| Max boosted ISO | 6400 | - |
| Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW files | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detect focus | ||
| Contract detect focus | ||
| Phase detect focus | ||
| Total focus points | 9 | 27 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | fixed lens | Pentax 645AF2 |
| Lens zoom range | 24-288mm (12.0x) | - |
| Largest aperture | f/3.1-6.3 | - |
| Number of lenses | - | 6 |
| Crop factor | 5.9 | 0.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
| Display sizing | 3 inch | 3.2 inch |
| Resolution of display | 460 thousand dots | 1,037 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch screen | ||
| Display tech | TFT LCD | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | None | Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 98% |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.85x |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 8 secs | 30 secs |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/2000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Continuous shooting rate | 1.0fps | 3.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
| Change white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash distance | 5.20 m | no built-in flash |
| Flash settings | Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off | Flash On, Flash On+Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync+Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, contrast-control-sync, high-speed sync, wireless sync |
| External flash | ||
| AEB | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Maximum flash synchronize | - | 1/125 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p) | 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p,24p) |
| Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
| Video format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Microphone port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) |
| GPS | None | Optional |
| Physical | ||
| Environment sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 159g (0.35 pounds) | 1550g (3.42 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 100 x 60 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") | 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | not tested | 101 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 26.0 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 14.7 |
| DXO Low light rating | not tested | 4505 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 200 photographs | 650 photographs |
| Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | - | D-LI90 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 secs) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots |
| Card slots | One | 2 |
| Retail pricing | $275 | $5,024 |