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Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Panasonic ZS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Revealed June 2012
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ25
  • Refreshed by Panasonic ZS20
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Launched April 2015
  • Previous Model is Pentax K-3
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Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Panasonic ZS15 versus Pentax K-3 II, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the ZS15 (12MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the ZS15 (1/2.3") and K-3 II (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

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The ZS15 was unveiled 3 years before the K-3 II which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the ZS15 matches up versus the K-3 II with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Pentax K-3 II

 ZS15 K-3 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Panasonic ZS15

 K-3 II ZS15 
LaunchedApril 2015June 2012Newer by 34 months
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Display dimension3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k460kCrisper display (+577k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS15 and Pentax K-3 II

 ZS15 K-3 II 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS15 has physical dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 II has measurements of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS15 versus Pentax K-3 II in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the ZS15 versus the K-3 II.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS15 and K-3 II is 92 and 59 respectively.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be hard to picture the difference in sensor dimensions merely by looking through specifications. The pic here may give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS15 and K-3 II.

Plainly, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The ZS15 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-3 II will provide you with extra detail having an extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged ZS15 will be behind in sensor technology.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Portrait photography info
Pentax K-3 II Portrait photography info
21
no manual focus
cannot use external flash
low MP (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
79
focusing manually
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Street photography details
Pentax K-3 II Street photography details
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (208g)
fixed screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
very good ISO range (51,200)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-3 II Sports photography highlights
36
great zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (2.0 fps)
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (260 CIPA)
does not have phase detect autofocus
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
has phase detect autofocus
terrible battery (720 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Travel photography information
Pentax K-3 II Travel photography information
61
lighter than competition in class (208 grams)
built-in flash
decently wide (24mm)
long zoom (384mm)
no Time Lapse mode
terrible battery life (260 per charge)
low MP (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
56
environment proofing
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
terrible battery (720 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Landscape photography factors
Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography factors
37
decently wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
terrible battery life (260 CIPA)
no Time Lapse mode
78
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
does not have anti aliasing filter
very good ISO range (51,200)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
has double storage slots
terrible battery (720 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Vlogging camera
33
decently wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition in class (208g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
no external mic socket
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external microphone port
screen is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS15 and Pentax K-3 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 Pentax K-3 II
Also called Lumix DMC-TZ25 -
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2012-06-29 2015-04-23
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Prime III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 6016 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 23 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 24-384mm (16.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focusing distance 3cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3.2"
Resolution of screen 460k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames per second 8.3 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.40 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync (available with dedicated external flash)
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 208g (0.46 lbs) 800g (1.76 lbs)
Dimensions 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 80
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 1106
Other
Battery life 260 pictures 720 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single 2
Price at launch $279 $829