Panasonic ZS40 vs Pentax K-3

Following is a in depth overview of the Panasonic ZS40 vs Pentax K-3, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the ZS40 (18MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the ZS40 (1/2.3") and K-3 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizing.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The ZS40 was introduced 3 months before the K-3 so they are of a similar age. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the ZS40 grades vs the K-3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 & Pentax K-3. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS40 Gallery & Pentax K-3 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS40 features physical dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 has measurements of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic ZS40 vs Pentax K-3 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the ZS40 against the K-3.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS40 and K-3 is 90 and 59 respectively.

Typically, it is very hard to envision the contrast between sensor sizes purely by reading a spec sheet. The image below should offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS40 and K-3.

Clearly, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The ZS40 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-3 will deliver extra detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively.