Panasonic SZ8 vs Pentax K-3

Lets look more closely at the Panasonic SZ8 versus Pentax K-3, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the SZ8 (16MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the SZ8 (1/2.3") and K-3 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor size.

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The SZ8 was announced 3 months before the K-3 and they are of a similar generation. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic SZ8 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the SZ8 scores versus the K-3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 and Pentax K-3. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic SZ8 Gallery and Pentax K-3 Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic SZ8 provides physical dimensions of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 has proportions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic SZ8 versus Pentax K-3 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you use during that time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the SZ8 compared to the K-3.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ8 and K-3 is 94 and 59 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to see the contrast between sensor dimensions only by reading through specs. The pic below will give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ8 and K-3.

All in all, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SZ8 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Pentax K-3 will give you extra detail with its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively.