Pentax K-3 Mark II vs Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Pentax K-3 Mark II and the Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9, 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 Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 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 Pentax K-3 Mark II over Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 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" Fixed screen with 1,037k dot resolution and Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 has a 3.0" Tilting screen with 1,240k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Pentax K-3 Mark II has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinderPanasonic Lumix DC-GX9 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,760k dot resolution. They both have 100% coverage.

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. Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 features a 20.3 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 25,600 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

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. Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 is equipped with Venus Engine processor and can take pictures up to 5184 x 3888 resolution.

Lens Mount

Pentax K-3 Mark II has Pentax K_AF2 lens mount and Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 has Micro Four Thirds 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 Micro Four Thirds sensor in Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

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

The cameras have a built-in in-body image stabilization (IBIS) (4.5 stops of compensation in Pentax K-3 Mark II and 4 stops of compensation in Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when cameras are 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.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9

Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 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.

Bluetooth on Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9

Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 has a built-in Bluetooth (version 4.2 LE) which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Pentax K-3 Mark II has a Mini HDMI and Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 has a Micro HDMI 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. Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Pentax K-3 Mark II, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9. Pentax K-3 Mark II can shoot continuously up to 8.3 fps. Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 can shoot continuously up to 9.0 fps.

Focusing

Pentax K-3 Mark II has 27 (25 cross-type) focusing points and Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 has 49 focusing points. Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 has detection range from -4 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Pentax K-3 Mark II and Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 range from -3 to +20 EV and 0 to +18 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Pentax K-3 Mark II and ±5 EV range on Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax K-3 Mark II and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9.

Flash

Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 6.00 m at ISO 200 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Pentax K-3 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 1/180 sec on Pentax K-3 Mark II and 1/200 sec on Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9.

Pentax K-3 Mark II body has dimensions of 131 x 100 x 77 mm (5.16 x 3.94 x 3.03") and Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 body has dimensions of 124 x 72 x 47 mm (4.88 x 2.83 x 1.85"). Pentax K-3 Mark II weighs 800 g (1.76 lb / 28.22 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 weighs 450 g (0.99 lb / 15.87 oz).

Pentax K-3 Mark II

Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9

131 mm

100 mm

124 mm

72 mm

100 mm

72 mm

77 mm

47 mm