Panasonic ZS35 vs Pentax K-S2

Lets look much closer at the Panasonic ZS35 and Pentax K-S2, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the ZS35 (16MP) and the K-S2 (20MP) is fairly well matched but the ZS35 (1/2.3") and K-S2 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizing.

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The ZS35 was launched 13 months before the K-S2 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS35 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the ZS35 scores against the K-S2 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS35 & Pentax K-S2. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS35 Gallery & Pentax K-S2 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS35 offers outer dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 32mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 305 grams (0.67 lbs) and the Pentax K-S2 has measurements of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") having a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic ZS35 and Pentax K-S2 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the ZS35 vs the K-S2.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS35 and K-S2 is 89 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to picture the gap between sensor dimensions only by reading through specs. The image here will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS35 and K-S2.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The ZS35 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-S2 will give extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged ZS35 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.