Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-50

Its time to look a little more closely at the Panasonic ZS3 versus Pentax K-50, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There is a significant difference between the image resolutions of the ZS3 (10MP) and K-50 (16MP) and the ZS3 (1/2.3") and K-50 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The ZS3 was brought out 5 years before the K-50 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-50 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a simple summary of how the ZS3 grades against the K-50 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 and Pentax K-50. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic ZS3 Gallery and Pentax K-50 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS3 features outside measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Pentax K-50 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic ZS3 versus Pentax K-50 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the ZS3 compared to the K-50.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS3 and K-50 is 91 and 63 respectively.

Often, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements purely by reviewing specs. The photograph below will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS3 and K-50.

All in all, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The ZS3 because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field tougher and the Pentax K-50 will offer you more detail having its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop images much more aggressively. The older ZS3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.