Pentax K-3 vs. Pentax K-S1

Camera Comparison, Reviews and Tests

In depth comparison and review of Pentax K-3 and Pentax K-S1. 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. Pentax K-S1 Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
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 9.3 cm
Width 13.15 cm 12 cm
Depth 7.75 cm 7 cm
Weight 715 g 485 g
Body Material Magnesium alloy -
Enclosure Colour Black White | Black
Protection Weatherproof, freezeproof, dust-resistant -
SENSOR Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
Sensor Resolution 23.35 Megapixel 20.12 Megapixel
Optical Sensor Type CMOS CMOS
Total Pixels 24,710,000 pixels 20,420,000 pixels
Effective Sensor Resolution 23,350,000 pixels 20,120,000 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 Special Protect (SP) coating
Image Stabiliser Optical (image sensor shift mechanism) -
Built-in Optical Image Stabiliser Yes -
Sensors Dust alert sensor, digital level metre -
PROCESSOR Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
Image Processor PRIME III PRIME MII
LENS Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
Lens Mounting Type Pentax K Pentax KAF2
FOCUSING Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
Auto Focus TTL phase detection TTL phase detection
Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 27 11
AE/AF Control - Face-priority AF, Subject-tracking AF
Face Detection Yes Yes
VIEWFINDER Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
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 -
EXPOSURE & WHITE BALANCE Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
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 Metering Zones - 77
Exposure Modes Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, ISO priority, shutter & aperture priority Programme, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, shutter & aperture priority
Shooting Programs - Landscape, portrait mode, macro, museum, surf & snow, PET, Blue Sky, food, night scene, sunset, candle, night snapshot, night scene with portrait, kids, Stage, night scene HDR, moving object, forest, backlight silhouette
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 Natural, bright, Vibrant, monochrome, Muted, landscape, portrait, Cross Process, Bleach Bypass, Radiant, Reversal Film, Tone Expansion, Cold vintage, Colour Fade, Bold Monochrome, Unicolour Bold, Clear Tone, Warm Fade, Brilliant Colour, Infrared Filter
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 (warm white), Color Temperature Enhancement (CTE), fluorescent light (daylight colour), fluorescent light (daylight white)
Shutter Type Mechanical electronically-controlled Mechanical electronically-controlled
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000 sec 1/6000 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 -
White Balance Bracketing - Yes
X-sync Speed 1/180 sec 1/180 sec
Exposure Range EV -3-20 (ISO 100) EV 0-22 (ISO 100)
DISPLAY Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
Type 3.2" LCD display 3" LCD display
Display Format 1,037,000 pixels 921,000 pixels
Display Form Factor Built-in Built-in
Display Features Colour control Colour control, display brightness control
FLASH Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
Camera Flash Pop-up flash Pop-up flash
Guide Number (m / ISO 100) 13 10
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
VIDEOGRAPHY / CAMCORDER Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
Digital Video Format AVI, MJPEG, H.264 H.264
Image Recording Format JPEG, DNG (RAW) + JPEG, DNG (RAW) JPEG, DNG (RAW) + JPEG, DNG (RAW)
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Microphone Operation Mode Mono Mono
Microphone Features Sensitivity control Sensitivity control
MEMORY Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
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, 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
-
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 - 30 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 25 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 24 fps
BATTERY AND CHARGING Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
Battery Type Pentax D-Li90 Lithium Ion Pentax D-Li109 Lithium Ion
Details Pentax D-Li90 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included) Pentax D-Li109 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 - 480 shots (50% flash usage)
Playback - 4.5 hours
CONNECTIONS Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
Interface HDMI, USB 3.0 HDMI
Print Standard Exif Print support DPOF support, Exif Print support
Flash Terminal Hot shoe Hot shoe
Connector Type USB 2.0
HDMI output
Microphone
Headphones
Remote control
USB 2.0
HDMI output (19 pin micro HDMI Type D)
FEATURES Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
Self-Timer Delay 2sec, 12sec 2sec, 12sec
Continuous Shooting Speed 8.3 frames per second 3 frames per second, 5.4 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 RGB primary colour filter, depth-of-field preview button, digital image rotation, camera orientation detection, histogram display, AE lock, AF lock, cropping an image, resizing an image, saturation control, in-camera film editing, in-camera RAW processing, HDR image enhancement technology, hue control, Eye-Fi Card Ready, LED body illumination
OTHERS Pentax K-3 Pentax K-S1
Included Accessories Battery charger, body cap, shoulder strap, USB cable, eyecup, shoe cap, battery grip terminal cover, sync terminal cover Battery charger, body cap, shoulder strap, eyecup, shoe cap
Software Drivers & Utilities Drivers & Utilities
Max Operating Temperature 40 °C 40 °C
Min Operating Temperature -10 °C -10 °C
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