Pentax K-3 vs. Pentax K-3 II

Camera Comparison, Reviews and Tests

Detailed comparison and review of Pentax K-3 and Pentax K-3 II. With our comprehensive overview, you can simply compare design, sensors, proximity characteristics, memory capacities, but also other key features of both cameras and easily decide which one is the right choice for you. Our goal is to help you identify the main differences between products and find the camera that best fits your needs and expectations.

Camera Specifications Comparison

Pentax K-3 vs. Pentax K-3 II Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Product Type Digital camera - SLR with movie recording Digital camera - 1080p - SLR with Live View mode, movie recording
Lens Included Body only Body only
Height 10 cm 10.25 cm
Width 13.15 cm 13.15 cm
Depth 7.75 cm 7.75 cm
Weight 715 g 700 g
Body Material Magnesium alloy Stainless steel, magnesium alloy
Enclosure Colour Black Black
Protection Weatherproof, freezeproof, dust-resistant Weatherproof, freezeproof, dust-resistant
Navigation - GPS receiver
SENSOR Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Sensor Resolution 23.35 Megapixel 24.35 Megapixel
Optical Sensor Type CMOS CMOS
Total Pixels 24,710,000 pixels 24,710,000 pixels
Effective Sensor Resolution 23,350,000 pixels 24,350,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm)
Sensor Features Dust Reduction (image sensor vibration), anti-aliasing simulator function Dust Reduction (image sensor vibration), anti-aliasing simulator function
Image Stabiliser Optical (image sensor shift mechanism) -
Built-in Optical Image Stabiliser Yes -
Sensors Dust alert sensor, digital level metre Accelerometer, magnetometer, digital level metre
PROCESSOR Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Image Processor PRIME III -
LENS Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Lens Mounting Type Pentax K Pentax K
FOCUSING Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Auto Focus TTL phase detection TTL contrast and phase detection
Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 27 27
Face Detection Yes Yes
VIEWFINDER Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Viewfinder Type Optical - fixed eye-level pentaprism Optical - fixed eye-level pentaprism
Optical Viewfinder Field Coverage 100% 100%
Optical Viewfinder Magnification 0.95x 0.95x
Optical Viewfinder Dioptric Correction Range -2.5 to +1.5 -2.5 to +1.5
Interchangeable Focusing Screens Yes Yes
EXPOSURE & WHITE BALANCE Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
ISO (Max) 51200 51200
Native ISO 100-51200 100-51200
Light Sensitivity ISO 100-51200, ISO auto (100-51200) ISO 100-51200, ISO auto (100-51200)
Exposure Metering Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot
Exposure Modes Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, ISO priority, shutter & aperture priority Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, ISO priority, shutter & aperture priority
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 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
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) 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)
Shutter Type Mechanical electronically-controlled Mechanical electronically-controlled
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000 sec 1/8000 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 2, 3 or 5 steps
X-sync Speed 1/180 sec 1/180 sec
Exposure Range EV -3-20 (ISO 100) EV -3-20 (ISO 100)
DISPLAY Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Type 3.2" LCD display 3.2" LCD display
Display Format 1,037,000 pixels 1,037,000 pixels
Display Form Factor Built-in Built-in
Display Features Colour control Colour control, contrast control, display brightness control
FLASH Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Camera Flash Pop-up flash -
Guide Number (m / ISO 100) 13 -
Flash Modes Fill-in mode, rear curtain sync, slow synchro, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction -
Red-Eye Reduction Yes -
Features AF illuminator, flash +/- compensation, wireless off-camera control -
VIDEOGRAPHY / CAMCORDER Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Digital Video Format AVI, MJPEG, H.264 AVI, MJPEG, H.264
Image Recording Format JPEG, DNG (RAW) + JPEG, DNG (RAW) JPEG, DNG (RAW), PEF (RAW)
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Microphone Operation Mode Mono Mono
Microphone Features Sensitivity control -
MEMORY Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Memory Card Slot Dual SD card Dual 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
Memory Card Included - No
Image Storage RAW 6016 x 4000
JPEG 6016 x 4000
JPEG 4608 x 3072
JPEG 3072 x 2048
JPEG 1920 x 1280
RAW 6016 x 4000
JPEG 6016 x 4000
JPEG 4608 x 3072
JPEG 3072 x 2048
JPEG 1920 x 1280
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
1920 x 1080
1280 x 720
BATTERY AND CHARGING Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Battery Type Pentax D-Li90 Lithium Ion Pentax D-Li90 Lithium Ion
Details Pentax D-Li90 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included) Pentax D-Li90 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 - 720 shots
Playback - 6.2 hours
CONNECTIONS Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Interface HDMI, USB 3.0 Composite video/audio, HDMI, USB 3.0
Print Standard Exif Print support Exif Print support
Flash Terminal Hot shoe Hot shoe, PC terminal
Connector Type USB 2.0
HDMI output
Microphone
Headphones
Remote control
USB 3.0
HDMI output (19 pin micro HDMI Type D)
Microphone (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
Headphones (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
Remote control
FEATURES Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Self-Timer Delay 2sec, 12sec 2sec, 12sec
Continuous Shooting Speed 8.3 frames per second 3 frames per second, 4.5 frames per second, 8.3 frames per second
HDR Mode Auto 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 Audio recording, sharpness control, digital image rotation, camera orientation detection, histogram display, AE lock, AF lock, cropping an image, resizing an image, saturation control, interval shooting mode, in-camera film editing, in-camera RAW processing, peripheral illumination correction, HDR image enhancement technology, Shade Correction, Eye-Fi Card Ready, High ISO NR, no anti-aliasing filter, Lens Distortion Correction, primary colour filter, Automatic composition correction function, colour moire correction, Lateral Chromatic Aberration Correction, Flucard Ready, anti-aliasing filter simulator, diffraction correction, Pixel Shift Resolution technology, colour fringe correction
OTHERS Pentax K-3 Pentax K-3 II
Included Accessories Battery charger, body cap, shoulder strap, USB cable, eyecup, shoe cap, battery grip terminal cover, sync terminal cover Eyepiece cover, carrying strap, battery charger, body cap, eyecup, shoe cap, sync terminal cover
Software Drivers & Utilities Drivers & Utilities
Max Operating Temperature 40 °C 40 °C
Min Operating Temperature -10 °C -10 °C
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