Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100, 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 III Monochrome was introduced in April 2023 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 was introduced in September 2013. 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 III Monochrome over Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 over Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome.

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 III Monochrome has a 3.2" screen with 1,620k dot resolution and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 has a [] screen with 0k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens. Both models feature touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality 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.

Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder on Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome

Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 1.05x (0.70x 35mm equivalent) magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100.

Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome features a 25.73 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.3 x 15.5 mm and a total area of 361.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 1,600,000. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 features a 20.2 megapixel 1-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 77.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 160 - 6,400 and expands to 160 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome is equipped with PRIME V processor and can take pictures up to 6192 x 4128 resolution. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3:2: 2736 x 1824; 4:3: 4864 x 3648, 2592 x 1944; 16:9: 5472 x 3080, 2720 x 1528; 1:1: 3648 x 3648, 1920 x 1920 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

No Low-Pass Filter on Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome. 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.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in image stabilization (5.5 stops of compensation in Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome). On Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome it means that you are still getting vibration reduction when it 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 Wi-Fi

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz on Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome) 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 Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome

Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome has a built-in Bluetooth 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.

NFC on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

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

Battery

Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome comes with D-LI90 battery pack with battery life of 800 shots and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 comes with NP-BN, battery pack with battery life of 200 shots.

External Storage Slots

Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) and one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I). Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 has a single microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC/Memory Stick Micro card slot.

Shutter

Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/8000 sec with mechanical shutter on Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome, and up to 1/2000 sec on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100. Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome can shoot continuously up to 12.0 fps.

Focusing

Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome has 101 (25 cross-type) focusing points and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 has . Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome has detection range from -3 to +19 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome ranges from -2 to +21 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome and ±2 range on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100. You can also do exposure lock and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome and exposure bracketing on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal to Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome.

Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome body has dimensions of 135 x 104 x 74 mm (5.31 x 4.09 x 2.91") and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 body has dimensions of 63 x 63 x 56 mm (2.48 x 2.48 x 2.2"). Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome weighs 820 g (1.81 lb / 28.92 oz) and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 weighs 179 g (0.39 lb / 6.31 oz).

Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100

135 mm

104 mm

63 mm

63 mm

104 mm

63 mm

74 mm

56 mm