Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K100D

Below is a extensive overview of the Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K100D, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the ZS10 (14MP) and K100D (6MP) and the ZS10 (1/2.3") and K100D (APS-C) posses different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The ZS10 was introduced 4 years later than the K100D and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS10 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K100D being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the ZS10 matches up against the K100D in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 & Pentax K100D. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS10 Gallery & Pentax K100D Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS10 provides external measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 219 grams (0.48 lbs) whilst the Pentax K100D has sizing of 129mm x 93mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8") having a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS10 vs Pentax K100D in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the ZS10 against the K100D.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS10 and K100D is 91 and 64 respectively.

Usually, it is very difficult to visualize the gap between sensor measurements merely by reading through specifications. The graphic below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS10 and K100D.

Plainly, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The ZS10 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field tougher and the Panasonic ZS10 will give extra detail using its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more modern ZS10 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.