Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax K-1 II

Its time to look closer at the Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax K-1 II, former is a Large Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the ZS100 (20MP) and K-1 II (36MP) and the ZS100 (1") and K-1 II (Full frame) offer totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The ZS100 was released 3 years prior to the K-1 II which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Pentax K-1 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the ZS100 grades against the K-1 II with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 & Pentax K-1 Mark II. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS100 Gallery & Pentax K-1 II Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera, you have to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS100 provides external dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Pentax K-1 II has measurements of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") and a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax K-1 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the ZS100 and the K-1 II.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS100 and K-1 II is 87 and 55 respectively.

Quite often, it can be hard to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions just by researching a spec sheet. The image here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS100 and K-1 II.

As you can see, the 2 cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The ZS100 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-1 II will render greater detail as a result of its extra 16MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos way more aggressively. The more aged ZS100 will be behind in sensor innovation.