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Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-30

Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 front
 
Pentax K-30 front
Portability
63
Imaging
57
Features
66
Overall
60

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-30 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Launched June 2012
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-TZ25
  • Replacement is Panasonic ZS20
Pentax K-30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 650g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Announced October 2012
  • Successor is Pentax K-50
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Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-30 Overview

Following is a detailed review of the Panasonic ZS15 and Pentax K-30, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There is a huge difference among the resolutions of the ZS15 (12MP) and K-30 (16MP) and the ZS15 (1/2.3") and K-30 (APS-C) come with different sensor sizing.

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The ZS15 was manufactured 4 months before the K-30 so they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go through a complete comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the ZS15 scores vs the K-30 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Pentax K-30

 ZS15 K-30 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-30 over the Panasonic ZS15

 K-30 ZS15 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Display resolution921k460kSharper display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS15 and Pentax K-30

 ZS15 K-30 
AnnouncedJune 2012October 2012Same generation
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch display Neither features Touch display

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-30 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry around your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS15 enjoys outer measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-30 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic ZS15 and Pentax K-30 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the ZS15 vs the K-30.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-30 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS15 and K-30 is 92 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-30 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-30 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizes just by viewing specifications. The picture below should give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS15 and K-30.

To sum up, both of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The ZS15 due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Pentax K-30 will result in greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images much more aggressively.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-30 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-30 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Portrait photography features
Pentax K-30 Portrait photography features
21
no manual focus
no external flash support
MP count low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
74
manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Street photography details
Pentax K-30 Street photography details
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (208 grams)
fixed screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Sports photography information
Pentax K-30 Sports photography information
36
great zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking focus
max fps low (2.0 fps)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (260 CIPA)
lacks phase detect autofocus
67
high shutter speed (1/6,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
max frames per second low (6.0 frames per second)
terrible battery (410 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic ZS15
Travel photography with Pentax K-30
61
lighter than competition (208 grams)
has built in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
very long reach (384mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
terrible battery power (260 per charge)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
60
weather proof
good MP (16MP)
built-in flash
terrible battery (410 CIPA)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS15
Landscape photography with Pentax K-30
37
pretty wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
terrible battery power (260 per charge)
does not have Timelapse mode
73
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
terrible battery (410 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Vlogging factors
Pentax K-30 Vlogging factors
33
pretty wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (208 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
does not have microphone socket
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone socket
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Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS15 and Pentax K-30
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15Pentax K-30
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 Pentax K-30
Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ25 -
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Launched 2012-06-29 2012-10-29
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Prime M
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 23 11
Cross type focus points - 9
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
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames per sec 6.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.40 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-eye,Slow Sync, Slow Sync+ Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 208 gr (0.46 lbs) 650 gr (1.43 lbs)
Dimensions 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 79
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 1129
Other
Battery life 260 pictures 410 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI109,4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $279 $525