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Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-x

Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 front
 
Pentax K-x front
Portability
69
Imaging
52
Features
47
Overall
50

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-x 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
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ25
  • Newer Model is Panasonic ZS20
Pentax K-x
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Push to 12800)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 580g - 123 x 92 x 68mm
  • Revealed December 2009
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Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-x Overview

Following is a complete review of the Panasonic ZS15 versus Pentax K-x, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. The image resolution of the ZS15 (12MP) and the K-x (12MP) is fairly comparable but the ZS15 (1/2.3") and K-x (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

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The ZS15 was introduced 2 years after the K-x which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-x being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving into a in depth comparison, here is a simple summation of how the ZS15 grades versus the K-x in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Pentax K-x

 ZS15 K-x 
RevealedJune 2012December 2009More modern by 31 months
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax K-x over the Panasonic ZS15

 K-x ZS15 
Focus manually Dial precise focus

Common features in the Panasonic ZS15 and Pentax K-x

 ZS15 K-x 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-x Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS15 has got physical measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) and the Pentax K-x has proportions of 123mm x 92mm x 68mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic ZS15 versus Pentax K-x in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have during that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the ZS15 compared to the K-x.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-x size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS15 and K-x is 92 and 69 respectively.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-x top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-x Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizes just by checking out specs. The image below might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS15 and K-x.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras come with the identical megapixel count but different sensor sizes. The ZS15 includes the smaller sensor which should make obtaining shallow depth of field more challenging. The newer ZS15 should have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-x sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-x Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-x Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-x as a Portrait photography camera
21
manual focus not available
external flash not possible
low MP (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
63
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-x as a Street photography camera
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (208g)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-x Sports photography highlights
36
incredible zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes tracking focus
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
low MP (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (260 CIPA)
does not have phase detect autofocus
61
max shutter speed is good (1/6,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
good battery power (1,900 CIPA)
supports phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Travel photography features
Pentax K-x Travel photography features
61
lighter than competitors in class (208g)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
very long zoom (384mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
terrible battery power (260 shots)
low MP (12 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
54
good battery power (1,900 CIPA)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Landscape photography information
Pentax K-x Landscape photography information
37
reasonably wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
terrible battery power (260 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
61
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
good battery power (1,900 per charge)
small screen (2.7 inch)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Vlogging details
Pentax K-x Vlogging details
33
reasonably wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors in class (208 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone support
27
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external microphone support
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Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K-x Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS15 and Pentax K-x
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15Pentax K-x
General Information
Make Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 Pentax K-x
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-TZ25 -
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2012-06-29 2009-12-23
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Prime
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 4288 x 2848
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Highest boosted ISO - 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 23 11
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
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 96%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.57x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/6000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 2.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.40 m 16.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear curtain, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/180 secs
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) 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 416 (24 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 208 gr (0.46 lbs) 580 gr (1.28 lbs)
Physical dimensions 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") 123 x 92 x 68mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 72
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.5
DXO Low light rating not tested 811
Other
Battery life 260 images 1900 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC card
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $279 $600