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Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-3 II 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
  • Revealed May 2009
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-TZ7
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Superseded the Pentax K-3
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Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Below is a extended review of the Panasonic ZS3 and Pentax K-3 II, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the ZS3 (10MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the ZS3 (1/2.3") and K-3 II (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

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The ZS3 was revealed 7 years before the K-3 II and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple summary of how the ZS3 scores versus the K-3 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Pentax K-3 II

 ZS3 K-3 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Panasonic ZS3

 K-3 II ZS3 
RevealedApril 2015May 2009More recent by 72 months
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen sizing3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS3 and Pentax K-3 II

 ZS3 K-3 II 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

When you are going to lug around your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS3 features exterior measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 II has specifications of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Check the Panasonic ZS3 and Pentax K-3 II 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 attached at that moment. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the ZS3 versus the K-3 II.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS3 and K-3 II is 91 and 59 respectively.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Normally, its difficult to see the contrast between sensor measurements simply by checking specs. The photograph below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS3 and K-3 II.

All in all, both cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ZS3 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Pentax K-3 II will resolve extra detail because of its extra 14 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older ZS3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Portrait photography info
Pentax K-3 II Portrait photography info
19
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
79
manual focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Street photography features
Pentax K-3 II Street photography features
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (229g)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
great high ISO (51,200)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-3 II Sports photography highlights
24
image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second low (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
low MP (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
environment sealing
has phase detect auto focus
low battery power (720 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Travel photography info
Pentax K-3 II Travel photography info
63
lighter than competition in class (229g)
built-in flash
decently wide (25mm)
great reach (300mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
low MP (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
56
environment sealing
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
low battery power (720 per charge)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography highlights
35
decently wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
lack of manual mode
low MP (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
lack of Time Lapse function
78
manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
doesnt have low pass filter
great high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
2 card slots
low battery power (720 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Vlogging details
Pentax K-3 II Vlogging details
30
decently wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (229 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external mic port
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has microphone support
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS3 and Pentax K-3 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Make Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Pentax K-3 II
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-TZ7 -
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2009-05-14 2015-04-23
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Prime III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 6016 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 51200
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 25-300mm (12.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.3-4.9 -
Macro focusing range 3cm -
Total lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3.2 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 2.0fps 8.3fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.30 m (Auto ISO) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, 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 (available with dedicated external flash)
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/180s
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)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD Lite MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 229 grams (0.50 pounds) 800 grams (1.76 pounds)
Dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 80
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 1106
Other
Battery life - 720 photos
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One Two
Retail cost $200 $829