Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-r

Lets take a more detailed look at the Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-r, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the ZS45 (16MP) and K-r (12MP) and the ZS45 (1/2.3") and K-r (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizes.

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The ZS45 was announced 3 years after the K-r which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS45 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-r being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going in to a complete comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the ZS45 scores vs the K-r when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 & Pentax K-r. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic ZS45 Gallery & Pentax K-r Gallery.

If you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS45 has got external measurements of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Pentax K-r has dimensions of 125mm x 97mm x 68mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.7") with a weight of 598 grams (1.32 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-r in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Following is the front view scale comparison of the ZS45 against the K-r.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS45 and K-r is 91 and 67 respectively.

In many cases, it's difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizes simply by viewing specifications. The picture below might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS45 and K-r.

To sum up, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The ZS45 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Panasonic ZS45 will result in greater detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The younger ZS45 will have an edge with regard to sensor technology.