Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax E90

Below is a in depth analysis of the Panasonic ZS100 and Pentax E90, one being a Large Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap between the resolutions of the ZS100 (20MP) and E90 (10MP) and the ZS100 (1") and E90 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The ZS100 was brought out 6 years later than the E90 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Pentax E90 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief view of how the ZS100 matches up vs the E90 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 and Pentax Optio E90. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic ZS100 Gallery and Pentax E90 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS100 has got exterior dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Pentax E90 has dimensions of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS100 and Pentax E90 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use during that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the ZS100 against the E90.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS100 and E90 is 87 and 94 respectively.

Sometimes, it is difficult to envision the contrast between sensor measurements merely by reading through specs. The visual here will provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS100 and E90.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The ZS100 featuring a bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic ZS100 will give you more detail having its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more recent ZS100 will have a benefit in sensor technology.