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Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
25
Overall
29
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Announced May 2009
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ6
Pentax K-500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Revealed November 2013
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Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Below is a in-depth comparison of the Panasonic ZS1 versus Pentax K-500, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the ZS1 (10MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the ZS1 (1/2.5") and K-500 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The ZS1 was brought out 5 years prior to the K-500 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a detailed comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the ZS1 grades vs the K-500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS1 over the Pentax K-500

 ZS1 K-500 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Panasonic ZS1

 K-500 ZS1 
RevealedNovember 2013May 2009More recent by 55 months
Manual focus More precise focusing
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax K-500

 ZS1 K-500 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch display Neither comes with Touch display

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to lug around your camera regularly, you need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS1 comes with external 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-500 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic ZS1 versus Pentax K-500 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have chosen at that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the ZS1 against the K-500.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS1 and K-500 is 91 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very tough to visualise the gap in sensor measurements purely by going through specifications. The graphic here will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS1 and K-500.

Plainly, the two cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ZS1 because of its smaller sensor will make getting bokeh trickier and the Pentax K-500 will provide more detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images a little more aggressively. The older ZS1 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Portrait photography camera
25
offers face detection focusing
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
does not have RAW files
74
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 Street photography advice
Pentax K-500 Street photography advice
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (229g)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
does not have RAW files
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
above average high ISO (51,600)
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Sports photography camera
24
built in image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low MP (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
does not have phase detect AF
72
great max shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
good battery (710 shots)
comes with phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-500 Travel photography highlights
63
lighter than competition (229 grams)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
very long zoom (300mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low MP (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
67
good battery (710 shots)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 Landscape photography features
Pentax K-500 Landscape photography features
31
relatively wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not available
low MP (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
does not have RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse function
79
has manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
above average high ISO (51,600)
saves RAW formats
good battery (710 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic ZS1
Vlogging with Pentax K-500
31
relatively wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focusing
lighter than competition (229 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (640 x 480 pixels)
doesn't have external mic port
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of external microphone socket
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Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax K-500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1Pentax K-500
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 Pentax K-500
Also called Lumix DMC-TZ6 -
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2009-05-14 2013-11-27
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - PRIME M
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.5" APS-C
Sensor measurements 5.744 x 4.308mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 24.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 6400 51600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 25-300mm (12.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.3-4.9 -
Macro focusing distance 3cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 6.3 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/6000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 5.30 m (Auto ISO) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 229g (0.50 pounds) 646g (1.42 pounds)
Dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 79
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 1087
Other
Battery life - 710 photos
Type of battery - AA
Battery ID - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Launch cost $0 $600