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Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs

Panasonic ZS30
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 198g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2013
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Succeeded the Panasonic ZS25
  • Refreshed by Panasonic ZS35
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Released April 2014
  • Succeeded the Pentax 645D
Photography Glossary

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax 645Z Overview

Following is a extensive review of the Panasonic ZS30 and Pentax 645Z, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Pro DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the ZS30 (18MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the ZS30 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) provide different sensor sizing.

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The ZS30 was brought out 15 months before the 645Z which makes them a generation away from each other. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a short summary of how the ZS30 matches up versus the 645Z with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Pentax 645Z

 ZS30 645Z 
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Panasonic ZS30

 645Z ZS30 
ReleasedApril 2014January 2013More modern by 15 months
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k920kSharper screen (+117k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS30 and Pentax 645Z

 ZS30 645Z 
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS30 features outer measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs) whilst the Pentax 645Z has proportions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") with a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic ZS30 and Pentax 645Z in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the ZS30 against the 645Z.

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS30 and 645Z is 92 and 49 respectively.

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

Often, its tough to picture the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reviewing specifications. The pic below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS30 and 645Z.

To sum up, each of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The ZS30 due to its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Pentax 645Z will offer extra detail having its extra 33MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more aged ZS30 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS30
Portrait photography with Pentax 645Z
33
good megapixels (18MP)
focusing manually not possible
external flash not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
88
manual focus
resolution is fantastic (51MP)
big sensor size (Medium format)
has face detection focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 Street photography advice
Pentax 645Z Street photography advice
66
image stabilization (Optical)
offers focus by touch
lighter than competitors in class (198 grams)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
63
tilting screen
big sensor size (Medium format)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
great ISO range (204,800)
no image stabilization
more heavy than competition (1,550 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 Sports photography details
Pentax 645Z Sports photography details
46
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18MP)
features tracking autofocus
max shutter speed is low (1/1,200 seconds)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (260 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
71
resolution is fantastic (51MP)
big sensor size (Medium format)
has tracking autofocus
environment proofing
has phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
terrible battery (650 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 Travel photography information
Pentax 645Z Travel photography information
69
lighter than competitors in class (198g)
offers focus by touch
good megapixels (18MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
great zoom (480mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
bad battery pack (260 CIPA)
does not contain selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
51
environment proofing
resolution is fantastic (51MP)
terrible battery (650 per charge)
more heavy than competition (1,550g)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 Landscape photography info
Pentax 645Z Landscape photography info
44
relatively wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
bad battery pack (260 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse recording
78
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2")
resolution is fantastic (51MP)
big sensor size (Medium format)
does not have anti-alias filter
great ISO range (204,800)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
2 card slots
no image stabilization
terrible battery (650 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic ZS30
Vlogging with Pentax 645Z
35
relatively wide (24mm)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors in class (198g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not contain selfie friendly display
lack of external mic jack
27
has face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external microphone support
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
more heavy than competition (1,550g)
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Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS30 and Pentax 645Z
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30Pentax 645Z
General Information
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 Pentax 645Z
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-TZ40 -
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Pro DSLR
Revealed 2013-01-07 2014-04-15
Physical type Compact Large SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - PRIME III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Medium format
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 18MP 51MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Highest resolution 4896 x 3672 8256 x 6192
Highest native ISO 6400 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 23 27
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax 645AF2
Lens focal range 24-480mm (20.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.3-6.4 -
Macro focus range 3cm -
Amount of lenses - 6
Focal length multiplier 5.8 0.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3.2"
Resolution of display 920k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/1200 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 6.40 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro 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
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/125 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p,24p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 198 gr (0.44 lbs) 1550 gr (3.42 lbs)
Physical dimensions 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 101
DXO Color Depth score not tested 26.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.7
DXO Low light score not tested 4505
Other
Battery life 260 images 650 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Card slots Single Two
Retail cost $250 $5,024