Panasonic ZS15 vs Pentax K100D S

Its time to look much closer at the Panasonic ZS15 versus Pentax K100D S, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the ZS15 (12MP) and K100D S (6MP) and the ZS15 (1/2.3") and K100D S (APS-C) have different sensor sizes.

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The ZS15 was released 5 years after the K100D S which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K100D S being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise overview of how the ZS15 grades against the K100D S with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 and Pentax K100D Super. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS15 Gallery and Pentax K100D S Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS15 comes with outer 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) and the Pentax K100D S has measurements of 129mm x 91mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.8") having a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS15 versus Pentax K100D S in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the ZS15 compared to the K100D S.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS15 and K100D S is 92 and 65 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very tough to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading through technical specs. The picture below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS15 and K100D S.

As you can tell, both cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ZS15 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic ZS15 will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures more aggressively. The more recent ZS15 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.