Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-1

The following is a thorough assessment of the Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax K-1, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the ZS1 (10MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the ZS1 (1/2.5") and K-1 (Full frame) boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The ZS1 was launched 7 years prior to the K-1 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting right into a in depth comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the ZS1 matches up against the K-1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 & Pentax K-1. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS1 Gallery & Pentax K-1 Gallery.

For those who are going to travel with your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS1 offers exterior measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-1 has specifications of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") with a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax K-1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at the time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the ZS1 compared to the K-1.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the ZS1 and K-1 is 91 and 55 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to see the gap in sensor dimensions purely by looking through specifications. The image below should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS1 and K-1.

To sum up, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The ZS1 due to its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Pentax K-1 will provide you with more detail utilizing its extra 26MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged ZS1 will be behind in sensor technology.