Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-01

Let's look a little more in depth at the Panasonic ZS3 versus Pentax K-01, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the ZS3 (10MP) and K-01 (16MP) and the ZS3 (1/2.3") and K-01 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The ZS3 was introduced 4 years prior to the K-01 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-01 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a quick overview of how the ZS3 scores vs the K-01 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 & Pentax K-01. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic ZS3 Gallery & Pentax K-01 Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS3 provides exterior measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Pentax K-01 has sizing of 122mm x 79mm x 58mm (4.8" x 3.1" x 2.3") and a weight of 561 grams (1.24 lbs).

Check the Panasonic ZS3 versus Pentax K-01 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use during that time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the ZS3 compared to the K-01.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS3 and K-01 is 91 and 76 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to picture the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through a spec sheet. The photograph below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS3 and K-01.

As you can see, both of those cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The ZS3 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Pentax K-01 will provide greater detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images much more aggressively. The older ZS3 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.