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Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-r 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 K-r

12 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Pentax K-r
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Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-r 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 K-r, which was introduced in March 2011 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 12.0MP APS-C sensor. There is 22 months difference between ZS1 and K-r so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger K-r, especially in sensor tech.

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 K-r 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 K-r Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-03-11
  • 12MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 12800 ( expands to 100-25600)
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 6 fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 598g. 125 x 97 x 68 mm

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax K-r 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 K-r
Weight
229 g vs 598 g 369 g lighter


Reasons to choose Pentax K-r 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
12 MP vs 10 MP 19% more pixels
Max ISO
12.800 vs 6.400 100% higher Max ISO
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
1/6000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
6.0fps vs 3.0fps 3 fps faster
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Flash Coverage
12.0m vs 5.3m 6.7m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
30.54µm2 vs 2.48µm2 1131% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
1280 x 720 vs 640 x 480 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Pentax K-r
Image Stabilization
Optical vs Sensor-shift Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Pentax K-r
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
New4
Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-r: 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 K-r 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 K-r has external dimensions of 125 x 97 x 68 mm (4.92 x 3.82 x 2.68″) and weighs 598 g (1.32 lb / 21.09 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax K-r. Panasonic ZS1 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 22mm narrower, 37mm shorter and 35mm thinner than Pentax K-r. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Panasonic ZS1 has a built-in lens but Pentax K-r doesn't. Once you put a lens on K-r, its thickness will increase significantly.

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

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax K-r.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-r Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax K-r 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 (369g ) than the Pentax K-r 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 K-r, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 (Lumix DMC-TZ6) nor Pentax K-r provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Pentax K-r'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 K-r: 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 K-r has a 12.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Prime II processor.

Below you can see the ZS1 and K-r sensor size comparison.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-r Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax K-r Cameras


As seen above, Pentax K-r has a 15.1x 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 K-r Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic ZS1 and Pentax K-r 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 K-r 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 APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax K-r for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
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 APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Large Body
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Sports Photography

POOR

Pentax K-r 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
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/6000s
9 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Pentax K-r for Daily Photography

GOOD
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 APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
598g
Body Thickness 68mm
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Pentax K-r for Landscape Photography

POOR
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 APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 vs Pentax K-r: 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 K-r, 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 K-r 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 K-r
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #33 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #244 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Pentax K-r 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 K-r is the better camera overall.

Panasonic ZS1
Panasonic ZS1
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Pentax K-r
Pentax K-r
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Pentax K-r vs Panasonic ZS1 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 Pentax K-r
Brand Panasonic Pentax
Announced 2009-05-14 2011-03-11
Body Type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CCD CMOS
Size 1/2.5-inch APS-C
Dimensions 5.744 x 4.308 mm 23.6 x 15.8 mm
Area 24.74mm2 372.88mm2
Megapixels 10 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 3648 x 2736 4288 x 2848
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 25600 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 KAF2
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 (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 96%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.57x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/2000s 1/6000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Optical Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.30 m (Auto ISO) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps 6.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 640 x 480 1280 x 720
Video Formats Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 229g 598g
Dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm 125 x 97 x 68mm
Battery Life n/a 470 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 72
DxO Color Depth not tested 22.9
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.4
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 755
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