Panasonic ZR3 vs Pentax K-70

Its time to take a closer look at the Panasonic ZR3 and Pentax K-70, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the ZR3 (14MP) and K-70 (24MP) and the ZR3 (1/2.3") and K-70 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The ZR3 was brought out 7 years before the K-70 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZR3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-70 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a full comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the ZR3 grades versus the K-70 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3 and Pentax K-70. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic ZR3 Gallery and Pentax K-70 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZR3 features external measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Pentax K-70 has measurements of 126mm x 93mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 2.9") with a weight of 688 grams (1.52 lbs).

Check the Panasonic ZR3 and Pentax K-70 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the ZR3 compared to the K-70.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZR3 and K-70 is 94 and 62 respectively.

Typically, it's difficult to see the difference in sensor sizing just by seeing specs. The visual below will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the ZR3 and K-70.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The ZR3 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Pentax K-70 will show greater detail having its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The older ZR3 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.