Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-30

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.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 and Pentax K-30. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS15 Gallery and Pentax K-30 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.