Panasonic ZS40 vs Pentax K10D

Below is a extensive assessment of the Panasonic ZS40 versus Pentax K10D, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the ZS40 (18MP) and K10D (10MP) and the ZS40 (1/2.3") and K10D (APS-C) have different sensor size.

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The ZS40 was announced 7 years later than the K10D and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K10D being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the ZS40 grades vs the K10D when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 & Pentax K10D. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS40 Gallery & Pentax K10D Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS40 offers outer 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) whilst the Pentax K10D has measurements of 142mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") with a weight of 793 grams (1.75 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS40 versus Pentax K10D in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the ZS40 versus the K10D.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS40 and K10D is 90 and 59 respectively.

Normally, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor measurements just by checking out technical specs. The visual underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS40 and K10D.

As you have seen, both cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The ZS40 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Panasonic ZS40 will produce extra detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The fresher ZS40 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.