Pentax K-3 III vs Pentax K-3 II

Side-by-side specs, features and our lab-measured performance for the Pentax K-3 III and the Pentax K-3 II.

Pentax K-3 III

Pro SLR · Released 2021 · 25.7 MP · APS-C

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Pentax K-3 II

Pro SLR · Released 2015 · 24.4 MP · APS-C

Read our review Compare with another camera

Compare their image quality Open both cameras in the Comparometer: the same studio scenes, at every ISO, side by side.

Key differences

Why pick the Pentax K-3 III

More resolution: 25.7 MP vs 24.4 MP
Higher native ISO ceiling: ISO 1,600,000 vs ISO 51,200
Faster continuous shooting: 12 fps vs 8.1 fps
Higher video resolution (4K)
Sharper screen: 1,620,000 dots vs 1,036,800 dots
Touchscreen
Bigger viewfinder image: 1.05x vs 0.63x
More shots per charge (CIPA): 800 shots vs 720 shots
Built-in Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
Newer model (2021 vs 2015)

Why pick the Pentax K-3 II

Lighter: 785 g vs 820 g
Built-in GPS
Costs less (street price when tested): $829.99 vs $1,897

Worked out from the spec sheets and our lab measurements. Image quality, handling and autofocus tracking are judged in the reviews.

Full specifications

Show differences only

Specification	Pentax K-3 III	Pentax K-3 II
Overview
Camera Format	Pro SLR	Pro SLR
Date Available	2021-04-06	2015-05-15
Currently Manufactured	Yes	Yes
Retail Price	$1999.95	$850.00
Street Price	$1,896.95	$829.99
Weight	28.9 oz (820 g) includes batteries	27.7 oz (785 g) includes batteries
Size	5.3 x 4.1 x 2.9 in. (135 x 104 x 74 mm)	5.2 x 4.0 x 3.1 in. (132 x 102 x 77 mm)
Waterproof	No	No
Predecessor	Pentax K-3 II	Pentax K-3
Successor	–	Pentax K-3 III
Sensor
Effective Megapixels	25.7	24.4
Sensor Format	APS-C	APS-C
Sensor size	361.15mm2 (23.30mm x 15.50mm)	366.6mm2 (23.50mm x 15.60mm)
Sensor Type	CMOS	CMOS
Approximate Pixel Pitch	3.76 microns	3.91 microns
Focal Length Multiplier	1.5x	1.5x
Aspect Ratio	3:2	3:2
Anti Aliasing Filter	Optional	Optional
Sensor shift image stabilization	Yes	Yes
Self-Cleaning	Yes	Yes
Image Resolution	6192 x 4128 (25.6 MP, 3:2), 4752 x 3168 (15.1 MP, 3:2), 3648 x 2432 (8.9 MP, 3:2), 1920 x 1280 (2.5 MP, 3:2)	6016 x 4000 (24.1 MP, 3:2), 4608 x 3072 (14.2 MP, 3:2), 3072 x 2048 (6.3 MP, 3:2), 1920 x 1280 (2.5 MP, 3:2)
Image File Format	JPEG (EXIF 2.30), 14-bit RAW (.PEF, .DNG), RAW+JPEG	JPEG (EXIF 2.30), 14-bit RAW (.PEF, .DNG), RAW+JPEG
RAW Capture Support	Yes	Yes
Sensor scores (DxOMark)
DxO Sensor Score	–	80
DxO Color Depth Score (bits)	–	23.6
DxO Dynamic Range Score (evs)	–	13.6
DxO Maximum Effective ISO Score (iso)	–	1,106
Autofocus
Auto Focus Type	SAFOX 13 TTL phase-matching - 101 point (25 cross type focus points in the center)	SAFOX 11 TTL phase-matching - 27 point (25 cross type focus points in the center)
On-Sensor Phase Detect	No	No
Focus Peaking	Yes	Yes
Manual Focus	Yes	Yes
Auto Focus Assist Light?	Yes	Yes
Speed (Imaging Resource lab tests)
Continuous-mode frames/second	12.0	8.1
JPEG shooting speed in burst mode (fps, max resolution)	12.0	8.1
Buffer size for JPEG shooting in burst mode (frames, max resolution)	30	60
RAW shooting speed in burst mode (fps)	–	8.2
Buffer size for RAW shooting in burst mode (frames)	–	22
Shutter lag (full AF, wide/mid)	–	0.14 seconds
Shutter Lag (prefocused)	–	0.090 seconds
Startup Time	–	1.2 seconds
Play -> Record Time	–	0.5 seconds
Viewfinder and screen
Viewfinder	Optical / LCD	Optical / LCD
Viewfinder Type	SLR type; eye-level pentaprism, ~100% coverage, 1.05x mag., 20.5mm eyepoint, -4.0 to +1.0 diopter	SLR type; eye-level pentaprism, ~100% coverage, 0.95x mag., TBDmm eyepoint, -2.5 to +1.5 diopter
Viewfinder Magnification (35mm equivalent)	1.05x	0.63x
Rear Display Size (inches)	3.2	3.2
Rear Display Resolution	1,620,000 dots (540,000 px)	1,036,800 dots (345,600 px)
Touchscreen	Yes	No
Articulating Screen	No	No
Tilt Swivel Screen	No	No
Selfie Screen	No	No
Top Deck Display	Yes	Yes
Exposure
Minimum ISO (native)	100	100
Maximum ISO (native)	1600000	51200
ISO Settings	Auto, 100-1600000 (1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps)	Auto, 100-51200 (1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter Speed Range	1/8000 - 30 sec	1/8000 - 30 sec
Bulb Mode	Yes	Yes
Exposure Compensation	+/- 5.0EV in 0.3EV steps	+/- 5.0EV in 0.3EV steps
Metering Modes	TTL open-aperture: Multi-segment with 307K-pixel RGBIr sensor, Center-weighted, Spot, Highlight-weighted	TTL open-aperture: Multi-segment with 86K-pixel RGB sensor, Center-weighted, Spot
White Balance Settings	Auto, Multi Auto WB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent Light (D: Daylight Color, N:Daylight White, W:Cool White, L:Warm White), Tungsten Light, Flash, CTE, Manual (up to 3 settings), Color Temperature (up to 3 settings), Copying the white balance setting of a captured image	Auto, Multi Auto WB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent Light (D: Daylight Color, N:Daylight White, W:Cool White, L:Warm White), Tungsten Light, Flash, CTE, Manual (up to 3 settings), Color Temperature (up to 3 settings)
Time Lapse (intervalometer)	–	Yes
High Resolution Composite	24.0 megapixels	24.0 megapixels
Self Timer	2 or 12 seconds	2 or 12 seconds
Creative Exposure Modes	Scene Analyze Auto, Program, Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Shutter & Aperture Priority; Digital filters (capture): Extract Color, Replace Color, Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Shading, Invert Color, Unicolor Bold, Tone Expansion, Bold Monochrome, Grainy Monochrome; HDR: Auto, HDR1, HDR2, HDR3, Advanced HDR, Exposure bracket value adjustable, Automatic composition correction function; Pixel Shift Resolution (On/Off)	Sensitivity Priority, Shutter and Aperture Priority; Digital filters (capture): Extract Color, Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Shading, Invert Color, Unicolor Bold, Bold Monochrome; HDR: Auto, HDR1, HDR2, HDR3; Pixel Shift Resolution (On/Off)
Video
Can take movies	Yes	Yes
Movie Resolution	3840x2160 (30p/24p) 1920x1080 (60p/50p/30p/25p/24p)	1920x1080 (60i/50i/30p/25p/24p) 1280x720 (60p/50p/30p/25p/24p)
Movie File Format	MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 (MOV)	MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 (MOV), Motion JPEG (AVI) for interval movie record
HD Video Out	Yes	Yes
HD Video Connection	HDMI	HDMI
Microphone Jack	Yes	Yes
Headphone Jack	Yes	Yes
Lens
Lens Mount	Pentax K (KA/KAF/KAF2/3/4)	Pentax K (KA/KAF/KAF2/3)
Optical Image Stabilization	No	No
Flash
Built-in Flash	No	No
Max Flash Sync	1/200	1/180
Flash Exposure Compensation	-2 to +1 EV in 0.5EV steps	-2 to +1 EV in 0.5EV steps
External Flash Connection	Hot Shoe, PC Sync socket	Hot Shoe, PC Sync socket
Built-In Wireless Flash Control	No	–
Storage and connectivity
Usable Memory Types	SD / SDHC / SDXC	SD / SDHC / SDXC
UHS Support	UHS-II	UHS-I
Dual Card Slots	Yes	Yes
Built-In Wi-Fi	Yes	No
Bluetooth	Yes	No
NFC	No	No
Built-In GPS	No	Yes
External Connections	USB 3.0 Super Speed,Bluetooth,WiFi	USB 3.0 Super Speed
Remote Control	Yes	Yes
Remote Control Type	Optional Wired or IR	Optional Wired or IR
Battery
Battery Life, Still (CIPA Rating OVF/EVF)	800 shots	720 shots
Battery Form Factor	Proprietary D-LI90	Proprietary D-LI90
Usable Battery Types	Lithium-ion rechargeable	Lithium-ion rechargeable
Internal Charging Supported	No	No
Battery Charger Included (dedicated charger or AC/USB adapter)	Yes	Yes
Other
Alternate Model Number(s)	K-3 Mark III	–
Tripod Mount	Yes	Yes
Color Filter Type	RGBG	RGBG
Composite Video Out	No	No
Integrated ND Filter	No	No
Auto Focus	Yes	Yes
Eye-level Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Rear Display	Yes	Yes
Max Playback Zoom	16.0x	16.0x
Auto ISO Mode	Yes	Yes
Program Auto Exposure	Yes	Yes
Aperture Priority	Yes	Yes
Shutter Priority	Yes	Yes
Full Manual Exposure	Yes	Yes
Flash Modes	P-TTL; Modes available depends on external flash mounted	P-TTL; Modes available depends on external flash mounted
Uncompressed Format	14-bit RAW (.PEF, .DNG), RAW+JPEG	14-bit RAW (.PEF, .DNG), RAW+JPEG
Included Memory	No memory included	No memory included
PictBridge Compliant	No	No
DPOF Compliant	Yes	Yes
Connections (extended)	USB 3.2 Gen1 (Type-C), Micro B,Micro (Type D) HMDI, External cable switch terminal (2.5mm), X-sync socket, 3.5mm stereo mic input, 3.5mm headphone jack	Micro (Type D) HMDI, USB 3.0 Micro B, DC input, wired remote jack, 3.5mm external stereo mic jack, 3.5mm stereo headphone jack
Batteries Included	1 x Proprietary D-LI90 Lithium-ion rechargeable	1 x Proprietary D-LI90 Lithium-ion rechargeable
Dedicated Battery Charger Included	Yes	Yes
Included Software	Software CD-ROM includes Digital Camera Utility 5	Software CD-ROM includes Digital Camera Utility 5
Viewfinder Magnification (nominal/claimed)	–	0.95x
Cycle time for RAW+JPEG shooting in single shot mode (seconds per shot)	–	0.60
Camera penalizes early shutter press?	–	No
RAW+JPEG shooting speed in burst mode (fps)	–	8.2
Buffer Size for RAW+JPEG shooting in burst mode (frames)	–	23
Shutter lag (prefocused, live view - DSLR)	–	0.274 seconds
Shutter Lag (manual focus)	–	0.094 seconds

Highlighted cells mark the better figure where one is clearly better. Timings and buffer depths come from our lab tests; DxOMark scores are DxOMark's own.

Pentax K-3 II highlights

Improved sensor-shift shake reduction (up to 4.5 stops), new Pixel Shift Resolution mode (4-shot composite provides full color information at each pixel and reduces noise), built-in GPS with ASTROTRACER and electronic compass.