Nikon 1 J3 vs Pentax K-1 Mark II

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon 1 J3 and the Pentax K-1 Mark II, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon 1 J3 was introduced in November 2013 and Pentax K-1 Mark II was introduced in February 2018. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon 1 J3 over Pentax K-1 Mark II.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax K-1 Mark II over Nikon 1 J3.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon 1 J3 has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 921k dot resolution and Pentax K-1 Mark II has a 3.2" Fully Articulated screen with 1,037k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Pentax K-1 Mark II selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting.

Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder on Pentax K-1 Mark II

Pentax K-1 Mark II has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.70x magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Nikon 1 J3.

Nikon 1 J3 features a 14.2 megapixel 1-inch CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 116.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 160 - 6,400. Pentax K-1 Mark II features a 36.4 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 24 mm and a total area of 576 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 819,200.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	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	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	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

Nikon 1 J3 can take pictures up to 4608 x 3072 resolution. Pentax K-1 Mark II is equipped with PRIME IV processor and can take pictures up to 7360 x 4912 resolution.

Lens Mount

Nikon 1 J3 has Nikon 1 lens mount and Pentax K-1 Mark II has Pentax K_AF4 lens mount. Due to 1-inch sensor in Nikon 1 J3 its crop factor is equal to 2.7x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.7. Due to Full Frame sensor in Pentax K-1 Mark II its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Low-Pass Filter on Pentax K-1 Mark II

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Pentax K-1 Mark II. 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.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Pentax K-1 Mark II

Pentax K-1 Mark II has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 5 stops of compensation. 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.

Built-in GPS on Pentax K-1 Mark II

Pentax K-1 Mark II has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Pentax K-1 Mark II

Pentax K-1 Mark II has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Nikon 1 J3 has a Type C HDMI and Pentax K-1 Mark II has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon 1 J3 comes with EN-EL20 battery pack with battery life of 220 shots and Pentax K-1 Mark II comes with D-LI90 battery pack with battery life of 670 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon 1 J3 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Pentax K-1 Mark II has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slots.

Shutter

Nikon 1 J3 and Pentax K-1 Mark II have Electronic. shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Nikon 1 J3, and up to 1/8000 sec on Pentax K-1 Mark II. Nikon 1 J3 can shoot continuously up to 15.0 fps. Pentax K-1 Mark II can shoot continuously up to 4.4 fps.

Focusing

Nikon 1 J3 has Hybrid autofocus (phase detection/contrast-detect AF)
AF-assist illuminator system with 135 (41 cross-type) focusing points and Pentax K-1 Mark II has 33 (25 cross-type) focusing points. Pentax K-1 Mark II has detection range from -3 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Pentax K-1 Mark II ranges from -3 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 range on Nikon 1 J3 and ±5 EV range on Pentax K-1 Mark II. You can also do exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon 1 J3 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax K-1 Mark II.

Flash

Nikon 1 J3 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 5.00 m. Pentax K-1 Mark II has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/60 sec on Nikon 1 J3 and 1/200 sec on Pentax K-1 Mark II.

Nikon 1 J3 body has dimensions of 101 x 61 x 29 mm (3.98 x 2.4 x 1.14") and Pentax K-1 Mark II body has dimensions of 137 x 110 x 86 mm (5.39 x 4.33 x 3.39"). Nikon 1 J3 weighs 201 g (0.44 lb / 7.09 oz) and Pentax K-1 Mark II weighs 1010 g (2.23 lb / 35.63 oz).

Nikon 1 J3

Pentax K-1 Mark II

101 mm

61 mm

137 mm

110 mm

61 mm

110 mm