Pentax K-3 III Comparison Review

The Pentax K-3 III is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was revealed to the public in March 2021 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 25.6 megapixel.

Is the Pentax K-3 III a good camera? The K-3 III has a Camera Elo of 2823. This rating puts the K-3 III among the top 10 percent of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the K-3 III also ranks among the top 10 percent.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Pentax K-3 III vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Pentax K-3 III alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Pentax K-3 III	135 mm	104 mm	74 mm	820 g	800	Y	Mar 2021	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
2.		Fujifilm X-H1	140 mm	97 mm	86 mm	673 g	310	Y	Feb 2018	US$ 1 899	ebay.com
3.		Nikon D780	144 mm	116 mm	76 mm	840 g	2260	Y	Jan 2020	US$ 2 299	amazon.com
4.		Nikon Z6	134 mm	101 mm	67 mm	675 g	310	Y	Aug 2018	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
5.		Nikon Z6 II	134 mm	101 mm	70 mm	705 g	410	Y	Oct 2020	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
6.		Panasonic GH6	138 mm	100 mm	100 mm	823 g	360	Y	Feb 2022	US$ 2 199	amazon.com
7.		Panasonic S5	133 mm	98 mm	82 mm	714 g	440	Y	Sep 2020	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
8.		Pentax K-3	131 mm	100 mm	77 mm	800 g	560	Y	Oct 2013	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
9.		Pentax K-3 II	131 mm	100 mm	77 mm	800 g	720	Y	Apr 2015	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
10.		Pentax K-70	126 mm	93 mm	74 mm	688 g	410	Y	Jun 2016	US$ 649	ebay.com
11.		Pentax KP	132 mm	101 mm	76 mm	703 g	390	Y	Jan 2017	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Pentax K-3 III was launched in the US market at a price of $1,999. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check K-3 III price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Pentax K-3 III features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Pentax K-3 III among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Pentax K-3 III	APS-C	25.6	6192	4128	4K/30p	24.2	13.7	2083	85
2.		Fujifilm X-H1	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.0	13.3	1806	82
3.		Nikon D780	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/30p	25.3	14.3	2877	95
4.		Nikon Z6	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/30p	25.3	14.3	3299	95
5.		Nikon Z6 II	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/60p	25.0	14.4	3303	94
6.		Panasonic GH6	Four Thirds	25.0	5776	4336	5.7K/60p	23.4	13.4	1555	77
7.		Panasonic S5	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/60p	25.1	14.5	2697	94
8.		Pentax K-3	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.7	13.4	1216	80
9.		Pentax K-3 II	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.6	13.6	1106	80
10.		Pentax K-70	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	23.8	13.1	1639	80
11.		Pentax KP	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.9	13.2	1699	81
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The K-3 III indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the K-3 III can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the K-3 III has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.70x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Pentax K-3 III along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Pentax K-3 III	optical	Y	3.2 / 1620	fixed	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
2.		Fujifilm X-H1	3690	Y	3.0 / 1040	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
3.		Nikon D780	optical	Y	3.2 / 2359	tilting	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	n
4.		Nikon Z6	3690	Y	3.2 / 2100	tilting	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
5.		Nikon Z6 II	3690	Y	3.2 / 2100	tilting	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
6.		Panasonic GH6	3680	n	3.0 / 1840	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
7.		Panasonic S5	2360	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	7.0/s	n	Y
8.		Pentax K-3	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.3/s	Y	Y
9.		Pentax K-3 II	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.3/s	n	Y
10.		Pentax K-70	optical	n	3.0 / 921	swivel	n	1/6000s	6.0/s	Y	Y
11.		Pentax KP	optical	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/6000s	7.0/s	Y	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One useful feature of the K-3 III is a presence of a top-level LCD. While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Pentax K-3 III and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Pentax K-3 III	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
2.		Fujifilm X-H1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	3.0	Y	-	-
3.		Nikon D780	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.1	Y	-	Y
4.		Nikon Z6	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y
5.		Nikon Z6 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
6.		Panasonic GH6	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
7.		Panasonic S5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
8.		Pentax K-3	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
9.		Pentax K-3 II	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
10.		Pentax K-70	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
11.		Pentax KP	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	-	2.0	Y	-	-

It is notable that the K-3 III has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the K-3 III can be found in the free online Pentax K-3 III Manual or on the Pentax support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the K-3 III. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Pentax K-3 III	4/5	..	3/5	..	4.5/5	..	Mar 2021	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
2.		Fujifilm X-H1	..	+	5/5	86/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2018	US$ 1 899	ebay.com
3.		Nikon D780	5/5	..	5/5	87/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2020	US$ 2 299	amazon.com
4.		Nikon Z6	5/5	..	5/5	89/100	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2018	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
5.		Nikon Z6 II	4.5/5	..	4/5	89/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2020	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
6.		Panasonic GH6	5/5	+ +	5/5	87/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2022	US$ 2 199	amazon.com
7.		Panasonic S5	4.5/5	+ +	4.5/5	88/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2020	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
8.		Pentax K-3	4/5	..	..	83/100	5/5	5/5	Oct 2013	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
9.		Pentax K-3 II	4.5/5	..	..	..	5/5	5/5	Apr 2015	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
10.		Pentax K-70	4.5/5	..	4/5	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2016	US$ 649	ebay.com
11.		Pentax KP	4/5	..	3/5	82/100	5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2017	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Check K-3 III price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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