Panasonic ZS100 vs Pentax WS80

Its time to examine more closely at the Panasonic ZS100 versus Pentax WS80, one is a Large Sensor Compact and the latter is a Waterproof by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the ZS100 (20MP) and WS80 (10MP) and the ZS100 (1") and WS80 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The ZS100 was introduced 6 years after the WS80 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Pentax WS80 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a detailed comparison, below is a short summary of how the ZS100 grades vs the WS80 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 and Pentax Optio WS80. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS100 Gallery and Pentax WS80 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry around your camera, you need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS100 has got outer dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Pentax WS80 has proportions of 92mm x 60mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 0.9") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Check the Panasonic ZS100 versus Pentax WS80 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Following is the front view scale comparison of the ZS100 against the WS80.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS100 and WS80 is 87 and 95 respectively.

Usually, it's tough to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes merely by reading specs. The image here might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS100 and WS80.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The ZS100 having a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS100 will offer extra detail using its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more modern ZS100 should have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.