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Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax 645D Comparison

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Panasonic ZS1

10 MP | 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) CCD Sensor

Panasonic ZS1
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Pentax 645D

40 MP | Medium format (44 x 33 mm) CCD Sensor

Pentax 645D
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Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax 645D Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Panasonic ZS1, which was introduced in May 2009 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 10.0MP 1/2.5-inch sensor whereas Pentax 645D, which was introduced in March 2010 is a Pro DSLR camera with a 40.0MP Medium format sensor. There is only 10 months difference between ZS1 and 645D so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Fixed Lens camera is not an easy task but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax 645D before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic ZS1 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-05-14
  • 10MP - 1/2.5-inch CCD Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 2.7" Fixed Type Screen
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • - 640 x 480 video resolution
  • 229g. 103 x 60 x 33 mm
  • Also known as Lumix DMC-TZ6

Pentax 645D Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2010-03-10
  • 40MP - Medium format CCD Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 200 - 1600 ( expands to 100)
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 1 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 1480g. 156 x 117 x 119 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Pentax 645D was replaced by Pentax 645Z. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Pentax 645Z vs Pentax 645D
Pentax 645Z vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 (Lumix DMC-TZ6)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax 645D compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 over Pentax 645D
Image Stabilization
Optical vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max ISO
6.400 vs 1.600 300% higher Max ISO
Continuous Shooting
3.0fps vs 1.0fps 2 fps faster
Weight
229 g vs 1480 g 1251 g lighter
Max Video Resolution
640 x 480 vs None Higher Resolution Video


Reasons to choose Pentax 645D over Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Optical vs None Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution
40 MP vs 10 MP 300% more pixels
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.7" 0.3 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 230k dots 300% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/4000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Sensor Pixel Area
36.74µm2 vs 2.48µm2 1381% larger pixel area
Top LCD
Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Pentax 645D
Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Pentax 645D
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
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Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax 645D: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax 645D side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic ZS1 has external dimensions of 103 x 60 x 33 mm (4.06 x 2.36 x 1.3″) and weighs 229 g (0.50 lb / 8.08 oz) (including batteries). Pentax 645D has external dimensions of 156 x 117 x 119 mm (6.14 x 4.61 x 4.69″) and weighs 1480 g (3.26 lb / 52.21 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax 645D. Panasonic ZS1 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 53mm narrower, 57mm shorter and 86mm thinner than Pentax 645D. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Panasonic ZS1 has a built-in lens but Pentax 645D doesn't. Once you put a lens on 645D, its thickness will increase significantly.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax 645D Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax 645D Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax 645D.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax 645D Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax 645D Size and Weight - Back View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Panasonic ZS1 is significantly lighter (1251g ) than the Pentax 645D which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on 645D, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of 645D, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to ZS1.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Pentax 645D's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Panasonic ZS1's 2.7" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax 645D: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 has a 10.0MP 1/2.5-inch (5.744 x 4.308 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Pentax 645D has a 40.0MP Medium format (44 x 33 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Prime II processor.

Pentax 645D's sensor provides 30MP more than Panasonic ZS1's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Pentax 645D's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the ZS1 and 645D sensor size comparison.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax 645D Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax 645D Cameras


As seen above, Pentax 645D has a 58.7x Larger sensor area than Panasonic ZS1. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax 645D Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax 645D for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Panasonic ZS1 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Pentax 645D for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 40.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax 645D for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details
Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Sports Photography

POOR

Pentax 645D for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
11 Focus Points
300 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 800 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Pentax 645D for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT
Compact Body
229g
12.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1480g
Body Thickness 119mm
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Pentax 645D for Landscape Photography

GOOD
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 40.0MP
Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax 645D: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax 645D, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax 645D scores compare:

Panasonic ZS1
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #378 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #1058 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Pentax 645D
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #14 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #290 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Pentax 645D is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Panasonic ZS1 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Panasonic ZS1. Otherwise, Pentax 645D is the better camera overall.

Panasonic ZS1
Panasonic ZS1
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Pentax 645D
Pentax 645D
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Pentax 645D vs Panasonic ZS1 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 Pentax 645D
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Announced 2009-05-14 2010-03-10
Body Type Compact Large SLR
Sensor
Type CCD CCD
Size 1/2.5-inch Medium format
Dimensions 5.744 x 4.308 mm 44 x 33 mm
Area 24.74mm2 1452.00mm2
Megapixels 10 megapixels 40 megapixels
Max Resolution 3648 x 2736 7264 x 5440
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 1,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 200 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity - 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 11 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Pentax 645AF2
Lens Focal Range 25-300 mm (12×) no lens
Max Aperture F3.3-4.9 no lens
Macro Focus Range 3cm no lens
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 2.7" 3"
Resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 98%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.85x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/2000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Optical No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.30 m (Auto ISO) no built-in flash
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/125s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps 1.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 640 x 480 None
Video Formats Motion JPEG n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 229g 1480g
Dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm 156 x 117 x 119mm
Battery Life n/a 800 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 82
DxO Color Depth not tested 24.6
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.6
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1262
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