Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax Efina

Its time to examine more closely at the Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax Efina, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Ultracompact by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the ZS1 (10MP) and Efina (14MP) and the ZS1 (1/2.5") and Efina (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The ZS1 was introduced 5 years prior to the Efina and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax Efina being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief overview of how the ZS1 grades vs the Efina for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 & Pentax Efina. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic ZS1 Gallery & Pentax Efina Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS1 offers outside dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax Efina has dimensions of 87mm x 54mm x 21mm (3.4" x 2.1" x 0.8") having a weight of 91 grams (0.20 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax Efina in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the ZS1 against the Efina.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS1 and Efina is 91 and 97 respectively.

In many cases, it is very difficult to visualize the gap between sensor measurements just by reading through specs. The photograph here will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS1 and Efina.

All in all, both cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The ZS1 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Pentax Efina will give you extra detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older ZS1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.