Panasonic ZS5 vs Pentax 645Z

Below, we are looking at the Panasonic ZS5 vs Pentax 645Z, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Pro DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the ZS5 (12MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the ZS5 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) use different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS5 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the 645Z and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before delving through a more detailed comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the ZS5 scores against the 645Z in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 & Pentax 645Z. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS5 Gallery & Pentax 645Z Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS5 offers external dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs) while the Pentax 645Z has proportions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") accompanied by a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic ZS5 vs Pentax 645Z in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have during that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the ZS5 and the 645Z.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS5 and 645Z is 92 and 49 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to imagine the difference between sensor measurements just by reading through technical specs. The photograph below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS5 and 645Z.

As you have seen, both of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The ZS5 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Pentax 645Z will resolve greater detail due to its extra 39MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older ZS5 is going to be behind in sensor technology.