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Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs

Panasonic ZS3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Released May 2009
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ7
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Revealed April 2014
  • Old Model is Pentax 645D
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Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax 645Z Overview

In this write-up, we are comparing the Panasonic ZS3 and Pentax 645Z, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Pro DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the ZS3 (10MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the ZS3 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) come with totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The ZS3 was unveiled 5 years earlier than the 645Z which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a full comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the ZS3 matches up vs the 645Z with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Pentax 645Z

 ZS3 645Z 

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Panasonic ZS3

 645Z ZS3 
RevealedApril 2014May 2009More modern by 59 months
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k460kSharper display (+577k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS3 and Pentax 645Z

 ZS3 645Z 
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS3 comes with external dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Pentax 645Z has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") and a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS3 and Pentax 645Z in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use during that time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the ZS3 vs the 645Z.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS3 and 645Z is 91 and 49 respectively.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes merely by going over specs. The picture here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS3 and 645Z.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The ZS3 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax 645Z will offer you greater detail having an extra 41MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more aged ZS3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS3
Portrait photography with Pentax 645Z
19
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
88
focusing manually
resolution is excellent (51 megapixels)
large sensor size (Medium format)
provides face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 as a Street photography camera
Pentax 645Z as a Street photography camera
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (229g)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
63
tilting screen
large sensor size (Medium format)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
great ISO range (204,800)
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (1,550g)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Sports photography information
Pentax 645Z Sports photography information
24
image stabilization (Optical)
max fps very slow (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
71
resolution is excellent (51 megapixels)
large sensor size (Medium format)
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
has phase detect AF
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
bad battery power (650 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Travel photography information
Pentax 645Z Travel photography information
63
lighter than competition (229 grams)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
great reach (300mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
51
environment sealing
resolution is excellent (51MP)
bad battery power (650 shots)
more heavy than competition in class (1,550g)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Landscape photography info
Pentax 645Z Landscape photography info
35
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
lack of manual mode
sensor resolution low (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
does not have Time Lapse mode
78
focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2")
resolution is excellent (51MP)
large sensor size (Medium format)
no anti aliasing filter
great ISO range (204,800)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
2 card slots
does not have image stabilization
bad battery power (650 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax 645Z as a Vlogging camera
30
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (229 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic socket
27
provides face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external microphone support
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (1,550g)
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Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS3 and Pentax 645Z
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3Pentax 645Z
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Pentax 645Z
Also called as Lumix DMC-TZ7 -
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Pro DSLR
Released 2009-05-14 2014-04-15
Physical type Compact Large SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - PRIME III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Medium format
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 51 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 8256 x 6192
Max native ISO 6400 204800
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 27
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax 645AF2
Lens zoom range 25-300mm (12.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.3-4.9 -
Macro focusing distance 3cm -
Amount of lenses - 6
Focal length multiplier 5.9 0.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 3.2 inches
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 5.30 m (Auto ISO) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync 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
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/125s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p,24p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD Lite MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 229 gr (0.50 lb) 1550 gr (3.42 lb)
Dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 101
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 4505
Other
Battery life - 650 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Card slots One Dual
Retail cost $200 $5,024