Panasonic ZS70 vs Pentax 645Z

Following is a extensive assessment of the Panasonic ZS70 versus Pentax 645Z, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Pro DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the ZS70 (20MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the ZS70 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) feature different sensor measurements.

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The ZS70 was announced 3 years after the 645Z which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS70 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the ZS70 matches up against the 645Z for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS70 and Pentax 645Z. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic ZS70 Gallery and Pentax 645Z Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS70 offers outer measurements of 112mm x 67mm x 41mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.6") along with a weight of 322 grams (0.71 lbs) while the Pentax 645Z has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") with a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS70 versus Pentax 645Z in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the ZS70 against the 645Z.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS70 and 645Z is 87 and 49 respectively.

Sometimes, it is difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes simply by going through specs. The pic below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS70 and 645Z.

All in all, the 2 cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The ZS70 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax 645Z will provide greater detail with its extra 31MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos a little more aggressively. The more recent ZS70 should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.