Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax RZ18

Let's look a little more closely at the Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax RZ18, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the ZS1 (10MP) and RZ18 (16MP) and the ZS1 (1/2.5") and RZ18 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS1 was announced 3 years prior to the RZ18 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple summary of how the ZS1 matches up against the RZ18 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Pentax Optio RZ18. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS1 Gallery and Pentax RZ18 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS1 offers physical dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax RZ18 has dimensions of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax RZ18 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the ZS1 vs the RZ18.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the ZS1 and RZ18 is 91 and 92 respectively.

In many cases, its tough to see the gap between sensor measurements merely by going over specifications. The visual here may offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS1 and RZ18.

Plainly, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ZS1 with its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Pentax RZ18 will offer you extra detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images way more aggressively. The older ZS1 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.