• APS-C 366.6mm2
  • 24.4 megapixels
  • ISO 100 - 51,200
  • 4/3 224.9mm2
  • 20.3 megapixels
  • ISO 200 - 25,600
  • Detailed specifications
  • Pentax K-3
  • Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8
Links
Prices: Compare Prices Compare Prices
Manufacturer URL: Manufacturer website Manufacturer website
Predecessor:   Panasonic GX7
GX7 vs GX8
Successor: Pentax K-3 II
K-3 vs K-3 II
Panasonic GX9
GX8 vs GX9
General
Model Number: K-3 GX8
Alternate Model Number(s):    
Camera Format: Pro SLR Compact System Camera
Currently Manufactured: No Yes
Retail Price: $1149.95 $1199.99
Street Price: $699.00 $997.99
Date Available: 2013-11-01 2015-08-15
Tripod Mount: Yes Yes
Weight: 43.7 oz (1,240 g)
includes batteries, kit lens
17.2 oz (487 g)
includes batteries
Size: 5.2 x 3.9 x 3.1 in.
(132 x 100 x 77 mm)
5.2 x 3.1 x 2.5 in.
(133 x 78 x 63 mm)
Waterproof: No No
Waterproof Depth: n/a n/a
Image Sensor
Sensor Type: CMOS Live MOS
Sensor Manufacturer:   Panasonic
Effective Megapixels: 24.4 20.3
Sensor Format: APS-C 4/3
Sensor size: 366.6mm2 (23.50mm x 15.60mm) 224.9mm2 (17.30mm x 13.00mm)
Approximate Pixel Pitch: 3.91 microns 3.34 microns
Focal Length Multiplier: 1.5x 2.0x
Aspect Ratio: 3:2 4:3
Color Filter Type: RGBG RGBG
Anti Aliasing Filter: Optional Fixed
Self-Cleaning: Yes Yes
Sensor shift image stabilization: Yes Yes
On-Sensor Phase Detect: No No
DxO Sensor Score: 80 75
DxO Color Depth Score (bits): 23.7 23.5
DxO Dynamic Range Score (evs): 13.4 12.6
DxO Maximum Effective ISO Score (iso): 1,216 806
Image Capture
Image Resolution: 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)
5184 x 3888 (20.2 MP, 4:3),
3712 x 2784 (10.3 MP, 4:3),
2624 x 1968 (5.2 MP, 4:3),
1824 x 1368 (2.5 MP, 4:3),
5184 x 3456 (17.9 MP, 3:2),
3712 x 2480 (9.2 MP, 3:2),
2624 x 1752 (4.6 MP, 3:2),
1824 x 1216 (2.2 MP, 3:2),
5184 x 2920 (15.1 MP, 16:9),
3840 x 2160 (8.3 MP, 16:9),
1920 x 1080 (2.1 MP, 16:9),
1824 x 1024 (1.9 MP, 16:9),
3888 x 3888 (15.1 MP, 1:1),
2784 x 2784 (7.8 MP, 1:1),
1968 x 1968 (3.9 MP, 1:1),
1712 x 1712 (2.9 MP, 1:1)
Image File Format: JPEG (EXIF 2.30), 14-bit RAW (.PEF, .DNG), RAW+JPEG JPEG (EXIF 2.3), MPO, RAW, RAW + JPEG
Continuous-mode frames/second: 7.1 8.3
Video Capture
Can take movies: Yes Yes
Movie Resolution: 1920x1080 (60i/​50i/​30p/​25p/​24p)
1280x720 (60p/​50p/​30p/​25p/​24p)
3840x2160 (30p/​24p)
1920x1080 (60p/​60i/​30p/​24p)
1280x720 (30p)
640x480 (30p)
Movie File Format: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 (MOV), Motion JPEG (AVI) for interval movie record AVCHD (Audio format: Dolby Digital 2ch) / MP4 (Audio format AAC 2ch)
Composite Video Out: No Yes
NTSC/PAL Switchable Video: n/a No
Video Usable as Viewfinder: n/a Yes
HD Video Out: Yes Yes
HD Video Connection: HDMI HDMI
Lens & Optics
Lens Mount: Pentax K (KA/KAF/KAF2/3) Micro Four Thirds
Lens: smc Pentax 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC DA WR n/a
Focal Length (35mm equivalent): 27 - 203mm  
Focal Length (actual): 18 - 135mm  
Zoom Ratio: 7.50x  
Aperture Range: f/3.5 - f/22 (wide) / f/5.6 - f/40 (tele)  
Integrated ND Filter: No No
Normal Focus Range: 40 cm to Infinity
15.7 in to Infinity
 
Macro Focus Range:    
Filter Thread: 62.0mm n/a
Thread Type: n/a n/a
Optical Image Stabilization: No No
Digital Zoom: Yes
Digital Zoom Values:   2x, 4x
Auto Focus
Auto Focus: Yes Yes
Auto Focus Type: SAFOX 11 TTL phase-matching - 27 point (25 cross type focus points in the center) Contrast Detection with DFD: Face/Eye detection, Tracking, 49-area, Custom Multi, 1-area, Pinpoint; One Shot AF, Shutter AF, Half Press Release, Quick AF, Continuous AF (during motion picture recording), Eye Sensor AF, AF+MF, MF Assist, Touch MF Assist, Focus Peaking, Touch AF/AE Function, Touch Pad AF, Touch Shutter
Auto Focus Assist Light? Yes Yes
Manual Focus: Yes Yes
Viewfinder
Viewfinder: Optical / LCD EVF / OLED
Viewfinder Type: SLR type; eye-level pentaprism, ~100% coverage, 0.95x mag., TBDmm eyepoint, -2.5 to +1.5 diopter Tilting 2360K-dot OLED, 1.54x / 0.77x (35mm eq.) magnification, 21mm eyepoint, -4 to +3 diopter, eye sensor
Focus Peaking: Yes Yes
EVF Resolution: n/a 2,360,000 dots
Viewfinder Magnification (35mm equivalent): 0.63x 0.77x
Viewfinder Magnification (nominal/claimed): 0.95x 1.54x
Display
Eye-level Viewfinder: Yes Yes
Rear Display: Yes Yes
Rear Display Size (inches): 3.2 3.0
Rear Display Resolution: 1,036,800 dots (345,600 px) 1,036,800 dots (345,600 px)
Touchscreen: No Yes
Articulating Screen: No Yes
Tilt Swivel Screen: No Yes
Selfie Screen: No Yes
Max Playback Zoom: 16.0x 16.0x
Top Deck Display: Yes No
Exposure
Maximum ISO (native): 51200 25600
Minimum ISO (native): 100 200
ISO Settings: Auto, 100-51200 (1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps) Auto, iISO, 100 (extended), 200 - 25600; in 1 or 1/3 EV steps
Auto ISO Mode: Yes Yes
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) Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent, Flash, White Set 1-4, Color Temperature Setting (2,500-10,000K in 100K steps)
Shutter Speed Range: 1/8000 - 30 sec 1/16000 - 60 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 86K-pixel RGB sensor, Center-weighted, Spot 1728-zone Intelligent Multiple, Center-weighted, Spot
Program Auto Exposure: Yes Yes
Aperture Priority: Yes Yes
Shutter Priority: Yes Yes
Full Manual Exposure: Yes Yes
Creative Exposure Modes: 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. Panorama (Standard/Wide); Creative Control: Expressive, Retro, Old Days, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Monochrome, Dynamic Monochrome, Rough Monochrome, Silky Monochrome, Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross Process, Toy Effect, Toy Pop, Bleach Bypass, Miniature Effect, Soft Focus, Fantasy, Star Filter, One Point Color, Sunshine
Self Timer: 2 or 12 seconds 2, 10, 3 shots in 10 seconds
Time Lapse (intervalometer): Yes Yes
High Resolution Composite: No No
Flash
Built-in Flash: Yes No
Flash Modes: P-TTL, Red-eye reduction, Slow-speed sync, Rear Curtain Sync. High-Speed Sync and Wireless Sync also available with PENTAX dedicated external flash. Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off; 1st. Curtain Sync, 2nd Curtain Sync.
Flash Guide Number (ISO 100): 13.0 m / 42.7 ft. n/a
Flash Range Description: Depends on lens n/a
Max Flash Sync: 1/180 1/250
Flash Exposure Compensation: -2 to +1 EV in 0.5EV steps +/- 3.0 EV in 0.3EV steps
External Flash Connection: Hot Shoe, PC Sync socket Hot Shoe
Built-In Wireless Flash Control: Full TTL exposure No
Image Storage
Usable Memory Types: SD / SDHC / SDXC SD / SDHC / SDXC
UHS Support: UHS-I UHS-I
Other Memory:    
Dual Card Slots: Yes No
RAW Capture Support: Yes Yes
Uncompressed Format: 14-bit RAW (.PEF, .DNG), RAW+JPEG RAW, RAW + JPEG
Movie File Format: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 (MOV), Motion JPEG (AVI) for interval movie record AVCHD (Audio format: Dolby Digital 2ch) / MP4 (Audio format AAC 2ch)
Included Memory: No memory included No memory included
Included Memory Type:    
Connectivity
Built-In Wi-Fi: No Yes
NFC: No Yes
Bluetooth: No No
Built-In GPS: No No
Microphone Jack: Yes Yes
Headphone Jack: Yes No
External Connections: USB 3.0 Super Speed USB 2.0 High Speed,WiFi
PictBridge Compliant: No Yes
DPOF Compliant: Yes Yes
Remote Control: Yes Yes
Remote Control Type: Optional Wired or IR Wi-Fi or optional wired
Connections (extended): 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 Micro HDMI (Type-D), 2.5mm Wired Remote/External Mic Jack
Performance Timing
Cycle time for JPEG shooting in single shot mode (seconds per frame, max resolution): 0.79 <0.3
Cycle time for RAW shooting in single shot mode (seconds per frame): 0.64  
Buffer size for RAW shooting in single shot mode (frames): Unlimited  
Cycle time for RAW+JPEG shooting in single shot mode (seconds per shot): 0.69 <0.3
Camera penalizes early shutter press? No Yes
JPEG shooting speed in burst mode (fps, max resolution): 7.1 8.3
Buffer size for JPEG shooting in burst mode (frames, max resolution): 75 Unlimited
RAW shooting speed in burst mode (fps): 7.1 7.9
Buffer size for RAW shooting in burst mode (frames): 24 36
RAW+JPEG shooting speed in burst mode (fps): 7.1 7.9
Buffer Size for RAW+JPEG shooting in burst mode (frames): 25 32
Shutter lag (full AF, wide/mid): 0.14 seconds 0.18 seconds
Shutter lag (full AF, tele):    
Shutter lag (full AF, live view - DSLR): 1.01 seconds  
Shutter lag (prefocused, live view - DSLR): 0.226 seconds  
Shutter Lag (manual focus): 0.097 seconds 0.065 seconds
Shutter lag (full AF, with flash): 0.33 seconds  
Shutter Lag (prefocused): 0.096 seconds 0.058 seconds
Shutter Lag (notes): Full AF lag, Wide-area mode, OVF = 0.157s Live View: Center mode AF lag = 1.014s Wide-area mode AF lag = 1.005s Prefocused = 0.226s  
Startup Time: 0.9 seconds 1.2 seconds
Play -> Record Time: 0.6 seconds 0.6 seconds
Flash cycle time, full power: 2.3 seconds  
Power
Battery Life, Stills (CIPA Rating Monitor/Live View):   340 shots
Battery Life, Still (CIPA Rating OVF/EVF): 560 shots 320 shots
Battery Life, Video:    
Battery Form Factor: Proprietary D-LI90 Proprietary
Usable Battery Types: Lithium-ion rechargeable 7.2v, 1200mAh Lithium-ion rechargeable
Batteries Included: 1 x Proprietary D-LI90 Lithium-ion rechargeable 1 x Proprietary Lithium-ion rechargeable
Battery Charger Included (dedicated charger or AC/USB adapter): Yes Yes
Dedicated Battery Charger Included: Yes Yes
Internal Charging Supported: No No
Software
Included Software: Software CD-ROM S-SW140 PHOTOfunSTUDIO 9.7 PE, SILKYPIX Developer Studio 4.3 SE, LoiloScope (trial version)
OS Compatibility:   PHOTOfunSTUDIO and LoiloScope: Windows Vista/7/8/8.1; SILKYPIX: Windows Vista/7/8/8.1, Mac OS X 10.5-10.10
Miscellaneous
Notes & Features: Image stabilization system also acts as a selectable AA filter, 8.3 fps full-res burst mode, new 27-point AF system, new 86,000 pixel RGB metering system, Full HD video up to 60i with H.264 encoding, dual SD card slots, freeze-proof, dust-proof, weather-resistant magnesium alloy construction, USB 3.0 port. New 20.3MP Live MOS sensor, upgraded quad-core CPU Venus Engine image processor, Dual IS uses both IBIS and OIS, 4K 30p/24p video and stills capture, 8fps full-res burst shooting (10fps with electronic shutter), Depth From Defocus AF, tilting high-res 0.77x EVF, tilt/swivel touchscreen OLED monitor, built-in Wi-Fi with NFC, magnesium alloy die cast frame