Panasonic ZR1 vs Pentax K-30

Below, we are looking at the Panasonic ZR1 versus Pentax K-30, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the ZR1 (12MP) and K-30 (16MP) and the ZR1 (1/2.3") and K-30 (APS-C) use totally different sensor measurements.

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The ZR1 was manufactured 4 years before the K-30 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the ZR1 matches up versus the K-30 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 and Pentax K-30. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic ZR1 Gallery and Pentax K-30 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZR1 provides physical measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") having a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-30 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZR1 versus Pentax K-30 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you select at that moment. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the ZR1 versus the K-30.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZR1 and K-30 is 94 and 63 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions purely by going over specifications. The picture below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the ZR1 and K-30.

To sum up, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ZR1 due to its tinier sensor will make getting bokeh harder and the Pentax K-30 will offer greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The more aged ZR1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.