Panasonic ZS35 vs Pentax 645D

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic ZS35 and Pentax 645D, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Pro DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the ZS35 (16MP) and 645D (40MP) and the ZS35 (1/2.3") and 645D (Medium format) come with different sensor size.

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The ZS35 was brought out 3 years after the 645D which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS35 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645D being a Large SLR camera.

Before delving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick overview of how the ZS35 scores against the 645D in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS35 & Pentax 645D. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic ZS35 Gallery & Pentax 645D Gallery.

For those who are going to carry around your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS35 enjoys external dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 32mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 305 grams (0.67 lbs) while the Pentax 645D has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7") and a weight of 1480 grams (3.26 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic ZS35 and Pentax 645D in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using during that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the ZS35 compared to the 645D.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS35 and 645D is 89 and 50 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to picture the contrast between sensor sizes merely by reading a spec sheet. The picture below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS35 and 645D.

As you can see, both cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The ZS35 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Pentax 645D will offer you more detail having its extra 24 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a little more aggressively. The fresher ZS35 provides an advantage in sensor technology.