Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax K-r

Lets look much closer at the Panasonic ZS3 versus Pentax K-r, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the ZS3 (10MP) and the K-r (12MP) is fairly well matched but the ZS3 (1/2.3") and K-r (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The ZS3 was launched 22 months before the K-r making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-r being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a thorough comparison, below is a concise overview of how the ZS3 matches up vs the K-r when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 & Pentax K-r. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic ZS3 Gallery & Pentax K-r Gallery.

If you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS3 features physical dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-r has sizing of 125mm x 97mm x 68mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.7") with a weight of 598 grams (1.32 lbs).

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

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the ZS3 against the K-r.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS3 and K-r is 91 and 67 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizes just by reading through technical specs. The pic underneath will provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS3 and K-r.

As you can tell, both the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The ZS3 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Pentax K-r will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics far more aggressively. The more aged ZS3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.