| General | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Nikon | Pentax |
| Model | D500 | K-3 Mark III |
| Predecessor Model | Nikon D300S | Pentax K-3 Mark II |
| MSRP | $2000/ £1729 (body only), $3069 / £2479 (w/16-80mm lens) | $1999 (body only) |
| Camera Type | Interchangeable Lens | Interchangeable Lens |
| Body Type | DSLR | DSLR |
| Video Capture |
| Sensor | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor Type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor Format | DX | |
| Sensor Size | APS-C | APS-C |
| Sensor Dimensions | 23.5 x 15.7 mm | 23.3 x 15.5 mm |
| Total Pixels | 21.56 Megapixel | 26.78 Megapixel |
| Effective Pixels | 20.9 Megapixel | 25.73 Megapixel |
| Low Pass Filter | ||
| Native ISO Range | 100 - 51,200 | 100 - 1,600,000 |
| Boosted ISO Range | 50 - 1,640,000 | |
| Sensor Shift High Resolution Mode |
| Photo | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | EXPEED 5 | PRIME V |
| Max Image Resolution | 5568 x 3712 | 6192 x 4128 |
| Other Resolutions | 4176 x 2784, 2784 x 1856 | |
| Image Aspect Ratios | 3:2 | 3:2 |
| Image File Format | JPEG, RAW, TIFF | DNG, JPEG, RAW |
| JPEG Quality Levels | Fine, Normal, Basic | Best, better, good |
| Bit Depth | 14-Bit | 14-Bit |
| Color Space | sRGB, Adobe RGB | |
| Timelapse Recording | ||
| White Balance | Presets: Auto, Cloudy, Color Temperature, Direct Sunlight, Flash, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Preset Manual, Shade | Presets: Auto, CTE, Cloudy, Color Temperature, Daylight, Fluorescent (Cool White), Fluorescent (Day White), Fluorescent (Daylight), Fluorescent (Warm White), Manual, Multi Auto WB, Shade, Tungsten |
| WB Bracketing | 2 to 9 exposures in increments of 1, 2 or 3 EV | |
| Active D-Lighting | Can be selected from: Auto Extra High Normal Low Off |
| Focus | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Autofocus Modes | Multi-area Selective single-point Tracking Single Continuous Face Detection Live View | Multi-area Center Selective single-point Tracking Single Continuous Touch Face Detection Live View |
| Lens Servo | Continuous-Servo AF, Manual Focus, Single-Servo AF | Continuous-Servo AF, Manual Focus, Single-Servo AF |
| AF Detection Range | -4 to +20 EV | -4 to +18 EV |
| Number of Focus Points | 153 | 101 |
| Number of Cross-type Focus Points | 99 | 25 |
| Touch-to-Focus | ||
| Live View Autofocus | ||
| Animal Eye Detection | ||
| Vehicle Tracking Mode | ||
| Insect Tracking Mode | ||
| Contrast Detection for Autofocus | ||
| Phase Detection for Autofocus | ||
| Focusing Screen | Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark II with AF Area Brackets (grid lines can be displayed) | Natural-Bright-Matte III focusing screen |
| Optics | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Lens Mount | Nikon F | Pentax KAF2 |
| Crop Factor | 1.5x | 1.5x |
| Image Stabilization | Sensor Shift | |
| Image Stabilization Compensation | 5.5 stops | |
| Digital Image Stabilization | ||
| Reflex Mirror | Quick-return type |
| Screen | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Type | Tilting | Fixed |
| Screen Technology | TFT LCD | TFT LCD |
| Touch Screen | ||
| Screen Size | 3.2" | 3.2" |
| Screen Resolution | 2,359k dot | 1,620k dot |
| Top LCD Screen | ||
| Live View | ||
| Live Composition |
| Viewfinder | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder Coverage | 100% | 100% |
| Viewfinder Magnification | 1x | 1.05x |
| Viewfinder Magnification (35mm equivalent) | 0.67x | 0.70x |
| Viewfinder Eyepoint | 16 mm | 20.5 mm |
| Diopter Adjustment | -2 to +1 | -4 to +1 |
| Shutter | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Shutter Type | Mechanical Focal Plane, Electronic | Electronic |
| Min Shutter Speed | 30 sec | 30 sec |
| Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) | 1/8000 sec | 1/8000 sec |
| Max Continuous Shooting | 10.0 fps | 12.0 fps |
| Mirror Lock Up | ||
| Continuous Shooting Resolution/fps/buffer | Up to 10 fps at 20.9 MP for up to 200 Frames (Raw) | Mechanical Shutter Up to 12 fps at 25.7 MP for up to 37 Frames (JPEG) / 32 Frames (Raw) Mechanical Shutter Up to 7 fps at 25.7 MP for up to 60 Frames (JPEG) / 37 Frames (Raw) Mechanical Shutter Up to 2.5 fps at 25.7 MP for up to 90 Frames (JPEG) / 39 Frames (Raw) |
| Flash | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in Flash | ||
| Flash Modes | Auto On Off Red-eye Slow sync Rear curtain | Auto Auto + Red-eye Reduction Flash On Flash On + Red-eye Reduction Slow- speed Sync Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye P-TTL Contrast-control-sync High-speed sync Wireless sync |
| Max Flash Sync Speed | 1/250 sec | 1/200 sec |
| Flash Compensation | -3 to +1 EV (1/3, 1/2, 1 EV Steps) | -2 to +1 EV (1/3, 1/2 EV Steps) |
| Flash Bracketing | 2 to 9 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1 EV | |
| External Flash Connectivity | ||
| External Flash System | TTL: i-TTL flash control using RGB sensor with approximately 180K (180,000) pixels; i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR is used with matrix, center-weighted, and highlight-weighted metering, standard i-TTL fill-flash for digital SLR with spot metering | P-TTL |
| External Flash Connection | Hot Shoe, PC Terminal | Hot Shoe, PC Terminal |
| Exposure | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Exposure Metering Modes | Multi Center-weighted Highlight-weighted Spot | Multi Center-weighted Highlight-weighted Spot |
| Exposure Modes | Aperture Priority, Manual, Program, Shutter Priority | Aperture Priority, Auto, Manual, Program, Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority |
| Metering Range | -4 to +20 EV | -3 to +20 EV |
| Exposure Compensation | ±5 EV (1/3 EV, 1/2 EV increments) | ±5 EV (1/3 EV, 1/2 EV increments) |
| Exposure Bracketing | (2, 3, 5, 7 shots at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 2/3 EV, 1 EV, 2 EV increments) | ±5 EV (2, 3, 5 shots at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV increments) |
| Exposure Lock | Luminosity locked at detected value with AE-L/AF-L button | Button type (timer type: two times the meter operating time set in Custom Setting); Continuous as long as the shutter button is halfway pressed |
| DXO | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| DxO Low Light ISO | 1324 | |
| DxO Color Depth | 24.1 | |
| DxO Dynamic Range | 14.0 | |
| DxO Overall Score | 84 |
| Video | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Movie File Format | MOV | |
| Internal Recording Modes | H.264/MOV 4K UHD: 3840 x 2160 @ 23.98/25/29.97 fps Full HD: 1920 x 1080p @ 23.98/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps HD: 1280 x 720 @ 50/59.94 fps | H.264/MOV 4K UHD: 3840 x 2160 @ 23.98/29.97 fps Full HD: 1920 x 1080p @ 23.98/29.97/59.94 fps |
| Interval Recording | ||
| Video Formats | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Max Video Resolution | 3840 x 2160 | 3840 x 2160 |
| External Recording Modes | HDMI UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) 1920 x 1080p 1280 x 720 | |
| Unlimited Video Recording | ||
| Recording Limit | 30 min | 25 min |
| Terminals | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Audio I/O | 1 x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS Stereo Headphone Output 1 x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS Stereo Microphone Input 1 x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS Stereo Headphone Output 1 x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS Stereo Microphone Input | 1 x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS Stereo Headphone Output 1 x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS Stereo Microphone Input |
| Power I/O | 1 x USB-C Input/Output | |
| Other I/O | 1 x USB-C (USB 3.2 / 3.1 Gen 1) Data Input/Output (Shared with Power Input) 1 x 2.5 mm Sub-Mini Control Input 1 x PC Sync Socket Output | |
| USB Speed | USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 GBit/sec) | USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 GBit/sec) |
| HDMI Output | Mini | Micro |
| Speaker | Mono | Mono |
| Built-in Microphone | Stereo | Stereo |
| Microphone Input | ||
| Headphone Output | ||
| Flash Sync Port |
| Connectivity | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in GPS | ||
| Built-In Wi-Fi | ||
| Wi-Fi Version | 802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz | |
| Built-In Bluetooth | ||
| Bluetooth Version | 4.1 LE | |
| NFC | ||
| Remote Control | Optional, wired or wireless | via wireless |
| Environmental | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Sealing | ||
| Operating Temperature | 32 to 104°F / 0 to 40°C | 14 to 104°F / -10 to 40°C |
| Operating Humidity | 0 to 85% | 0 to 85% |
| Physical | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 147 x 115 x 81 mm (5.79 x 4.53 x 3.19") | 135 x 104 x 74 mm (5.31 x 4.09 x 2.91") |
| Weight (inc. batteries) | 860 g (1.90 lb / 30.34 oz) | 820 g (1.81 lb / 28.92 oz) |
| Box Dimensions (LxWxH) | 9.5 x 6.3 x 6" | 8.3 x 6.5 x 5.1" |
| Package Weight | 3.6 lb | 3.035 lb |
| Power and Storage | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Pack | EN-EL15 | D-LI90 |
| Battery Life | 1240 shots | 800 shots |
| USB Charging | ||
| Internal Storage | ||
| External Storage | Slot 1: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) Slot 2: CFexpress Type B / XQD | Slot 1: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) Slot 2: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) |
| Other | Nikon D500 | Pentax K-3 Mark III |
|---|---|---|
| Self Timer | 2, 5, 10 or 20 sec | |
| Orientation Sensor | ||
| Tripod Mounting Thread | 1 x 1/4"-20 Female (Bottom) | 1 x 1/4"-20 Female (Bottom) |
| Accessory Mount | 1 x Hot Shoe Mount | 1 x Hot Shoe Mount |
| Material of Construction | Magnesium Alloy, Carbon Fiber | Magnesium Alloy |
| Illuminated Buttons | ||
| Electronic Level Gauge | ||
| Virtual Horizon Camera Indicator | Also visible in LiveView Modes Also visible in Viewfinder | |
| Sensor Cleaning/Dust Reduction System | Image sensor cleaning Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX-D software required) |
For a full review please go to the review page: