Panasonic ZS8 vs Pentax KP

Lets look closer at the Panasonic ZS8 vs Pentax KP, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the ZS8 (14MP) and KP (24MP) and the ZS8 (1/2.3") and KP (APS-C) posses different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The ZS8 was introduced 6 years prior to the KP and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera and the Pentax KP being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the ZS8 grades against the KP when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 & Pentax KP. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS8 Gallery & Pentax KP Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS8 provides physical measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs) while the Pentax KP has dimensions of 132mm x 101mm x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0") along with a weight of 703 grams (1.55 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic ZS8 vs Pentax KP in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the ZS8 and the KP.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS8 and KP is 92 and 61 respectively.

In many cases, it's difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizing just by looking at specs. The visual here will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS8 and KP.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The ZS8 using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Pentax KP will resolve more detail using its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older ZS8 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.