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Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500

Portability
87
Imaging
52
Features
65
Overall
57
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 front
 
Pentax Optio RS1500 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
30
Overall
34

Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-250mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 312g - 111 x 65 x 44mm
  • Introduced January 2016
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ100
  • Renewed by Panasonic ZS200
Pentax RS1500
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Announced March 2011
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Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500, one is a Large Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the ZS100 (20MP) and RS1500 (14MP) and the ZS100 (1") and RS1500 (1/2.3") posses different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS100 was brought out 4 years after the RS1500 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a detailed comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the ZS100 scores against the RS1500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS100 over the Pentax RS1500

 ZS100 RS1500 
AnnouncedJanuary 2016March 2011Newer by 59 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1040k230kSharper display (+810k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Panasonic ZS100

 RS1500 ZS100 

Common features in the Panasonic ZS100 and Pentax RS1500

 ZS100 RS1500 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS100 offers exterior measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Pentax RS1500 has dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the ZS100 and the RS1500.

Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS100 and RS1500 is 87 and 93 respectively.

Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be tough to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions just by going over a spec sheet. The picture here should give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS100 and RS1500.

As you can see, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ZS100 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS100 will offer you extra detail having its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The newer ZS100 provides an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS100 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax RS1500 as a Portrait photography camera
64
focusing manually
MP count good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
features face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
can't use external flash
35
manual focus
megapixel count good (14MP)
no manual mode
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS100 as a Street photography camera
Pentax RS1500 as a Street photography camera
78
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
includes focus by touch
lighter than average in class (312g)
fixed screen
54
weather proof
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS100 Sports photography information
Pentax RS1500 Sports photography information
67
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
features tracking autofocus
no phase detect AF
37
megapixel count good (14MP)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
low frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic ZS100
Travel photography with Pentax RS1500
75
lighter than average in class (312g)
includes focus by touch
MP count good (20MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
does not have selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
67
weather proof
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse recording
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS100 Landscape photography info
Pentax RS1500 Landscape photography info
68
focusing manually
relatively wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
40
manual focus
relatively wide (28mm)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
weather proof
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
no manual mode
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS100 Vlogging info
Pentax RS1500 Vlogging info
35
relatively wide (25mm)
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focusing
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
lighter than average in class (312 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not have selfie friendly display
lack of external microphone port
25
relatively wide (28mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external mic port
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Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax RS1500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS100 and Pentax RS1500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100Pentax Optio RS1500
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 Pentax Optio RS1500
Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ100 -
Category Large Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2016-01-05 2011-03-16
Body design Large Sensor Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine -
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size 1" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 13.2 x 8.8mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 116.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 5472 x 3648 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Max boosted ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 125 80
RAW data
Minimum boosted ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 49 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-250mm (10.0x) 28-110mm (3.9x)
Max aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range 5cm 1cm
Crop factor 2.7 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 1,040 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,166 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1500 secs
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 9.9 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 8.00 m (at Auto ISO) 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4K/UHD (3840 x 2160 @ 30p/24p), 1920 x 1080 @ 60p/60i/30p/24p, 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 312 grams (0.69 pounds) 157 grams (0.35 pounds)
Physical dimensions 111 x 65 x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 70 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.5 not tested
DXO Low light rating 559 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photographs 260 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3 shots @ 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail price $700 $150