Pentax Q10 vs Pentax K-3 Mark II

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Pentax Q10 and the Pentax K-3 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.

Pentax Q10 was introduced in September 2012 and Pentax K-3 Mark II was introduced in April 2015. 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 Q10 over Pentax K-3 Mark II.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax K-3 Mark II over Pentax Q10.

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 Q10 has a 3.0" screen with 460k dot resolution and Pentax K-3 Mark II has a 3.2" screen with 1,037k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens.

Viewfinder

Pentax K-3 Mark II has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.95x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification.Pentax Q10 does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional optical viewfinder can be attached.

Pentax Q10 features a 12.4 megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 28.1 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400. 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 243.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200.

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

Pentax Q10 can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 2664, 4000 x 2248, 3456 x 2595, 3456 x 2304, 3456 x 1944, 2992 x 2992, 2688 x 2016, 2688 x 1792, 2688 x 1512, 2016 x 2016, 1920 x 1440, 1920 x 1280, 1440 x 1440 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. 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.

Lens Mount

Pentax Q10 has Pentax Q lens mount and Pentax K-3 Mark II has Pentax K_AF2 lens mount. Due to 1/2.3-inch sensor in Pentax Q10 its crop factor is equal to 5.6x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 5.6. 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.

No Low-Pass Filter on Pentax K-3 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-3 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

The cameras have a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) (4.5 stops of compensation in Pentax K-3 Mark II). 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.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Pentax Q10 has a Mini Type C HDMI and Pentax K-3 Mark II has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Pentax Q10 comes with D-LI68 battery pack with battery life of 270 shots and Pentax K-3 Mark II comes with D-LI90 battery pack with battery life of 720 shots.

External Storage Slots

Pentax Q10 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Pentax K-3 Mark II has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slots.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Pentax Q10, and up to 1/8000 sec on Pentax K-3 Mark II. Pentax Q10 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Pentax K-3 Mark II can shoot continuously up to 8.3 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 ±3 EV range on Pentax Q10 and ±5 EV range on Pentax K-3 Mark II. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax Q10 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax K-3 Mark II.

Flash

Pentax Q10 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 7.00 m 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 1/2000 sec on Pentax Q10 and 1/180 sec on Pentax K-3 Mark II.

Pentax Q10 body has dimensions of 102 x 58 x 34 mm (4.02 x 2.28 x 1.34") and Pentax K-3 Mark II body has dimensions of 131 x 100 x 77 mm (5.16 x 3.94 x 3.03"). Pentax Q10 weighs 200 g (0.44 lb / 7.05 oz) and Pentax K-3 Mark II weighs 800 g (1.76 lb / 28.22 oz).

Pentax Q10

Pentax K-3 Mark II

102 mm

58 mm

131 mm

100 mm

58 mm

100 mm

34 mm

77 mm