Pentax K-3 vs. Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm

Camera Comparison, Reviews and Tests

In depth comparison and review of Pentax K-3 and Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm. Compare design, sensors, proximity features, memory capacities and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right camera for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the digital camera that will best fit your needs.

Camera Specifications Comparison

Pentax K-3 vs. Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Product Type Digital camera - SLR with movie recording Digital camera - SLR with Live View mode, movie recording
Lens Included Body only AF-S VR DX 18-55mm lens
Height 10 cm 9.8 cm
Width 13.15 cm 12.5 cm
Depth 7.75 cm 7.6 cm
Weight 715 g 480 g
Body Material Magnesium alloy Carbon fibre reinforced plastic
Enclosure Colour Black Black | Red | Grey
Protection Weatherproof, freezeproof, dust-resistant -
Optical Zoom - 3x
Navigation - GPS receiver, A-GPS receiver
SENSOR Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Sensor Resolution 23.35 Megapixel 24.2 Megapixel
Optical Sensor Type CMOS CMOS
Total Pixels 24,710,000 pixels 24,780,000 pixels
Effective Sensor Resolution 23,350,000 pixels 24,200,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm)
Sensor Dust Reduction - Yes
Sensor Features Dust Reduction (image sensor vibration), anti-aliasing simulator function Self Cleaning Sensor Unit, OLPF-less architecture
Image Stabiliser Optical (image sensor shift mechanism) Optical
Built-in Optical Image Stabiliser Yes Yes
Sensors Dust alert sensor, digital level metre -
PROCESSOR Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Image Processor PRIME III EXPEED 4
LENS Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Type - Zoom lens - 3x zoom - 18 - 55 mm - f/3.5-5.6 G ED II Nikon AF-S DX
Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera - 27 - 82.5mm
Focus Adjustment - Automatic, manual
Min Focus Distance - 28 cm
Max View Angle - 76 degree(s)
Zoom Adjustment - Manual
Lens Construction - 5 groups / 7 elements
Filter Size - 52 mm
Lens Mounting Type Pentax K Nikon F
Features - Full-time manual focusing, ED glass, Silent Wave Motor (SWM), aspherical lens
FOCUSING Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Auto Focus TTL phase detection TTL contrast and phase detection
Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 27 39
AE/AF Control - 3D-tracking AF, Auto-area AF, Face-priority AF, Subject-tracking AF
Face Detection Yes Face-priority AF function
VIEWFINDER Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Viewfinder Type Optical - fixed eye-level pentaprism Optical - eye-level pentamirror
Optical Viewfinder Field Coverage 100% 95%
Optical Viewfinder Magnification 0.95x 0.82x
Optical Viewfinder Dioptric Correction Range -2.5 to +1.5 -1.7 to +1.0
Field of View Crop Factor - 1.5
Interchangeable Focusing Screens Yes -
EXPOSURE & WHITE BALANCE Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
ISO (Max) 51200 25600
Native ISO 100-51200 -
Light Sensitivity ISO 100-51200, ISO auto (100-51200) ISO auto, ISO 25600, ISO 100-12800
Exposure Metering Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot Centre-weighted, 3D colour matrix II, colour matrix II, spot (2.5%)
Exposure Modes Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, ISO priority, shutter & aperture priority Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, i-TTL program flash
Shooting Programs - Autumn colour, landscape, portrait mode, close-up, party/indoor, beach/snow, night portrait, Children, food, night landscape, dawn/dusk, sports mode, sunset, candle, blossom, pet portrait
Special Effects Soft, Slim, Pastel, fisheye, natural, bright, Vibrant, Sketch, monochrome, Muted, landscape, portrait, Water Colour, miniature, Cross Process, Retro, Colour Extract, Toy camera, starburst, High contrast, Colour Invert, Bleach Bypass, Posterisation, Radiant, Reversal Film, Shading, Tone Expansion, Bold Monochrome, Unicolour Bold Neutral, Vivid, fisheye, monochrome, landscape, portrait, miniature, Toy camera, Silhouette, Colour sketch, Colour outline, Perspective Control, Selective Colour, High Key, Night Vision, Low Key, HDR Painting, Image Overlay, Quick retouch
White Balance Custom, automatic, presets Custom, automatic, presets
White Balance Presets Cloudy, tungsten light, Flash, daylight, shade, fluorescent light (cool white), fluorescent light (daylight), fluorescent light (warm white), Color Temperature Enhancement (CTE), fluorescent light (daylight white) Incandescent, fluorescent, cloudy, sunlight, Flash, shade
Shutter Type Mechanical electronically-controlled -
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000 sec 1/4000 sec
Min Shutter Speed 30 sec 30 sec
Exposure Compensation ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
Auto Exposure Bracketing 2, 3 or 5 steps 3 steps in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
White Balance Bracketing - Yes
X-sync Speed 1/180 sec 1/200sec
Exposure Range EV -3-20 (ISO 100) EV 0-20 (ISO 100)
DISPLAY Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Type 3.2" LCD display 3.2" LCD display
Display Format 1,037,000 pixels 1,037,000 pixels
Display Form Factor Built-in Rotating
Display Features Colour control Colour control, display brightness control
FLASH Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Camera Flash Pop-up flash Pop-up flash
Guide Number (m / ISO 100) 13 13
Flash Modes Fill-in mode, rear curtain sync, slow synchro, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction Fill-in mode, rear curtain sync, slow synchro, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction
Red-Eye Reduction Yes Yes
Features AF illuminator, flash +/- compensation, wireless off-camera control AF illuminator, flash +/- compensation, wireless off-camera control
VIDEOGRAPHY / CAMCORDER Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Digital Video Format AVI, MJPEG, H.264 H.264, MOV
Image Recording Format JPEG, DNG (RAW) + JPEG, DNG (RAW) JPEG, RAW + JPEG, NEF (RAW)
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Microphone Operation Mode Mono Stereo
Microphone Features Sensitivity control Sensitivity control
MEMORY Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Memory Card Slot Dual SD card SD card
Supported Memory Cards SD Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card SD Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card
Image Storage RAW 6016 x 4000
JPEG 6016 x 4000
JPEG 4608 x 3072
JPEG 3072 x 2048
JPEG 1920 x 1280
6000 x 4000
4496 x 3000
2992 x 2000
Video Capture H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 30 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 25 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 24 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 60 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 50 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 30 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 25 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 24 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 60 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 50 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 60 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 50 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 30 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 25 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 24 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 60 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 50 fps
H.264 - 640 x 424 - 30 fps
H.264 - 640 x 424 - 25 fps
BATTERY AND CHARGING Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Battery Type Pentax D-Li90 Lithium Ion Nikon EN-EL14a Lithium Ion
Details Pentax D-Li90 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included) Nikon EN-EL14a Li-ion rechargeable battery (included)
Battery Life Photo shooting - 560 shots (50% flash usage)
Photo shooting - 720 shots (flash off)
Playback - 6.2 hours
Photo shooting - 600 shots
CONNECTIONS Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Interface HDMI, USB 3.0 Composite video/audio, HDMI, USB 2.0, IEEE 802.11b/g
Connectivity Features - Remote control via mobile devices, remote live view
Print Standard Exif Print support Direct print, DPOF support, Exif Print support, PictBridge support
Flash Terminal Hot shoe Hot shoe
Connector Type USB 2.0
HDMI output
Microphone
Headphones
Remote control
USB 2.0
HDMI output
Composite video/audio output
Microphone
FEATURES Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Self-Timer Delay 2sec, 12sec 10 sec, 2sec, 5 sec, 20sec
Continuous Shooting Speed 8.3 frames per second 5 frames per second
HDR Mode Auto HDR mode -
Additional Features Audio recording, digital image rotation, camera orientation detection, histogram display, AE lock, AF lock, cropping an image, resizing an image, saturation control, GPS ready, interval shooting mode, mirror lock, in-camera RAW processing, peripheral illumination correction, HDR image enhancement technology, Shade Correction, Eye-Fi Card Ready, NR Slow Shutter, High ISO NR, Dynamic Range Compensation, no anti-aliasing filter, Lens Distortion Correction, primary colour filter, Interval Movie Record, Automatic composition correction function, colour moire correction, Lateral Chromatic Aberration Correction, Flucard Ready Digital image rotation, camera orientation detection, histogram display, in-camera red-eye removal, cropping an image, resizing an image, interval shooting mode, highlight point display, in-camera film editing, Active D-Lighting technology, Scene Recognition System (SRS), in-camera RAW processing, automatic display brightness adjustment, HDR image enhancement technology, Live View Scene Auto Selector, distortion control, perspective control, no anti-aliasing filter, noise reduction over long exposures, high ISO speed noise reduction, Active D-Lighting bracketing
OTHERS Pentax K-3 Nikon D5300 + AF-S VR DX 18-55mm
Included Accessories Battery charger, body cap, shoulder strap, USB cable, eyecup, shoe cap, battery grip terminal cover, sync terminal cover Eyepiece cover, battery charger, body cap, neck strap, USB cable, eyecup, shoe cap, audio / video cable
Software Drivers & Utilities Nikon ViewNX 2
Max Operating Temperature 40 °C 40 °C
Min Operating Temperature -10 °C 0 °C
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