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Pentax K-3 was announced in 2014 and is an APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) DSLR camera with 23.35 Megapixel CMOS sensor. Its native ISO ranges from 100 to 51,200. The camera has a Fixed 3.2" screen with 1,037k dot resolution and built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a built-in Sensor Shift in body image stabilization.
Pentax K-3 can capture video up to 1920 x 1080 resolution.
In this section we present pros and cons of Pentax K-3.
And here are some specifications which fall into average criteria and are neither in PROs nor in CONs category:
In 2015 Pentax K-3 was replaced by Pentax K-3 Mark II. Let us now have a look at some important differences between Pentax K-3 and its successor.
| UPGRADES | Pentax K-3 Mark II | vs | Pentax K-3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheaper | $1099/£769 (body only) | vs | $1299 / £1099 body only, $1699 / £1449 with 18-135 WR lens, $1599 / £1399 for limited edition silver body |
| Higher Sensor Resolution | 24.35 Megapixel | vs | 23.35 Megapixel |
| Average Metering | vs | ||
| Higher DxO Dynamic Range | 13.6 | vs | 13.4 |
| Built-in GPS | vs | ||
| Longer Battery Life | 720 shots | vs | 560 shots |
| DOWNGRADES | Pentax K-3 Mark II | vs | Pentax K-3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in Flash | vs | ||
| Lower DxO Low Light ISO | 1106 | vs | 1216 |
| Lower DxO Color Depth | 23.6 | vs | 23.7 |
For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Pentax K-3 vs K-3 Mark II.
Pentax K-3 has a 3.2" Fixed screen with 1,037k dot resolution.
Camera has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.95x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification.
Pentax K-3 features a 23.35 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 366.6 mm2. Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200.
Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how Pentax K-3's APS-C sensor compares with other types of sensors:
| Sensor | Dimensions | Area | Aspect Ratio | Crop Factor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Medium Format | 44 x 33 mm | 1452 mm2 | 4:3 | 0.79x |
 | Full Frame | 36 x 24 mm | 864 mm2 | 3:2 | 1x |
 | APS-H | 27 x 18 mm | 486 mm2 | 3:2 | 1.3x |
 | APS-C | 23.5 x 15.6 mm | 366.6 mm2 | 3:2 | 1.5x |
 0.webp) | APS-C (Canon) | 22.3 x 14.9 mm | 332.3 mm2 | 3:2 | 1.6x |
 | Micro Four Thirds | 17.4 x 13 mm | 226.2 mm2 | 4:3 | 2x |
 | 1-inch | 13.2 x 8.8 mm | 116.2 mm2 | 3:2 | 2.7x |
 | 1/1.7-inch | 7.44 x 5.58 mm | 41.5 mm2 | 4:3 | 4.7x |
 | 1/2.3-inch | 6.17 x 4.55 mm | 28.1 mm2 | 4:3 | 5.6x |
Camera is equipped with PRIME III processor and can take pictures up to 6016 x 4000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolutions like 4608 x 3072, 3072 x 2048, 1920 x 1080 with 3:2 aspect ratios.
Pentax K-3 has Pentax KAF2 lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor its crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is 1.5x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.
There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.
The camera has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.
Pentax K-3 has a USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 GBit/sec) input for data transfer. There is a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.
Pentax K-3 comes with D-LI90 battery pack with battery life of 560 shots.
The camera has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slots.
Pentax K-3's shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec. Camera can shoot continuously up to 8.3 fps.
Pentax K-3 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 13.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal or Wireless connection. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec.
Pentax K-3 has dimensions of 131 x 100 x 77 mm (5.16 x 3.94 x 3.03"). It weighs 800 g (1.76 lb / 28.22 oz) which is neither heavy nor lightweight.
131 mm (5.16")
100 mm (3.94")
100 mm (3.94")
77 mm (3.03")
Pentax K-3 dimensions
We give scores to the camera for different type of photography based on its features and specifications. Let us see how Pentax K-3 is suitable for six different types of photography.
Pentax K-3 gets a score of 82 and is GOOD choice for Landscape photography.
Pentax K-3 gets a score of 74 and is GOOD choice for Sports photography.
Pentax K-3 gets a score of 70 and is GOOD choice for Wildlife photography.
Pentax K-3 gets a score of 82 and is GOOD choice for Portrait photography.
Pentax K-3 gets a score of 82 and is GOOD choice for Street photography.
Pentax K-3 gets a score of 80 and is GOOD choice for Travel photography.
We evaluate Pentax K-3 and give score of 74 out of 100. We also give separate scores for 7 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new camera is added to the database.
We give Pentax K-3 a score of 71 for Sensor parameters.
We give Pentax K-3 a score of 79 for Photo parameters.
We give Pentax K-3 a score of 45 for Video parameters.
We give Pentax K-3 a score of 80 for Focusing parameters.
We give Pentax K-3 a score of 74 for Screen and Viewfinder parameters.
We give Pentax K-3 a score of 81 for Connectivity parameters.
We give Pentax K-3 a score of 72 for Battery, Storage and Physical parameters.
For a full specification list please go to the specifications page:
