Panasonic ZR3 vs Pentax 645D

Lets look a little more closely at the Panasonic ZR3 versus Pentax 645D, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Pro DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the ZR3 (14MP) and 645D (40MP) and the ZR3 (1/2.3") and 645D (Medium format) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The ZR3 was manufactured within a month of the 645D which means that they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZR3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645D being a Large SLR camera.

Before diving into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the ZR3 scores against the 645D with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3 & Pentax 645D. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic ZR3 Gallery & Pentax 645D Gallery.

If you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZR3 enjoys outer dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") having a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Pentax 645D has proportions of 156mm x 117mm x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7") with a weight of 1480 grams (3.26 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic ZR3 versus Pentax 645D in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the ZR3 compared to the 645D.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZR3 and 645D is 94 and 50 respectively.

Typically, it is tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizes purely by reading a spec sheet. The pic below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the ZR3 and 645D.

As you can see, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The ZR3 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Pentax 645D will deliver more detail due to its extra 26MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics more aggressively.