Pentax K-3 Mark II vs Leica M9

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Pentax K-3 Mark II and the Leica M9, 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.

Pentax K-3 Mark II was introduced in April 2015 and Leica M9 was introduced in September 2009. 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 Pentax K-3 Mark II over Leica M9.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Leica M9 over Pentax K-3 Mark II.

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

Pentax K-3 Mark II has a 3.2" screen with 1,037k dot resolution and Leica M9 has a 2.5" screen with 230k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens.

Viewfinder

Pentax K-3 Mark II has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinderLeica M9 has a built-in Optical (rangefinder) viewfinder. Pentax K-3 Mark II has 100% coverage with 0.95x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification and with 0.68x magnification.

Pentax K-3 Mark II features a 24.35 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. Leica M9 features a 18.0 megapixel Full Frame CCD sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 576 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 2,500.

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

Pentax K-3 Mark II is equipped with PRIME III processor and can take pictures up to 6016 x 4000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4608 x 3072, 3072 x 2048, 1920 x 1080 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Leica M9 can take pictures up to 5212 x 3472 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3840 x 2592, 2592 x 1728, 1728 x 1152, 1280 x 846 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Pentax K-3 Mark II has Pentax K_AF2 lens mount and Leica M9 has Leica M lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Pentax K-3 Mark II its crop factor is equal to 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. Due to Full Frame sensor in Leica M9 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

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on either of the cameras. 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-3 Mark II

Pentax K-3 Mark II has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 4.5 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-3 Mark II

Pentax K-3 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.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Pentax K-3 Mark II comes with D-LI90 battery pack with battery life of 720 shots.

External Storage Slots

Pentax K-3 Mark II has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slots. Leica M9 has a single SD/SDHC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Pentax K-3 Mark II, and up to 1/4000 sec on Leica M9. Pentax K-3 Mark II can shoot continuously up to 8.3 fps. Leica M9 can shoot continuously up to 2.0 fps.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Pentax K-3 Mark II ranges from -3 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Pentax K-3 Mark II and ±3 EV range on Leica M9. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax K-3 Mark II and and manual exposure adjustment on Leica M9.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal to Pentax K-3 Mark II and via Hot Shoe to Leica M9. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec on both cameras.

Pentax K-3 Mark II body has dimensions of 131 x 100 x 77 mm (5.16 x 3.94 x 3.03") and Leica M9 body has dimensions of 139 x 80 x 37 mm (5.47 x 3.15 x 1.46"). Pentax K-3 Mark II weighs 800 g (1.76 lb / 28.22 oz) and Leica M9 weighs 585 g (1.29 lb / 20.64 oz).

Pentax K-3 Mark II

Leica M9

131 mm

100 mm

139 mm

80 mm

100 mm

80 mm

77 mm

37 mm