Pentax K-3 II vs. Pentax K-1

Camera Comparison, Reviews and Tests

In depth comparison and review of Pentax K-3 II and Pentax K-1. Compare design, sensors, proximity features, memory capacities and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right camera for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the digital camera that will best fit your needs.

Camera Specifications Comparison

Pentax K-3 II vs. Pentax K-1 Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Product Type Digital camera - 1080p - SLR with Live View mode, movie recording Digital camera - 1080p - SLR with Live View mode, movie recording
Lens Included Body only Body only
Height 10.25 cm 11 cm
Width 13.15 cm 13.65 cm
Depth 7.75 cm 8.55 cm
Weight 700 g 925 g
Body Material Stainless steel, magnesium alloy -
Enclosure Colour Black -
Protection Weatherproof, freezeproof, dust-resistant Weatherproof, freezeproof, dust-resistant
Navigation GPS receiver GPS receiver
SENSOR Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Sensor Resolution 24.35 Megapixel 36.4 Megapixel
Optical Sensor Type CMOS CMOS
Total Pixels 24,710,000 pixels 36,770,000 pixels
Effective Sensor Resolution 24,350,000 pixels 36,400,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) Full Frame (35.9 x 24.0 mm)
Frame Rate (Max Resolution) - 30 fps
Sensor Features Dust Reduction (image sensor vibration), anti-aliasing simulator function -
Image Stabiliser - Optical (5-axis image sensor shift mechanism)
Built-in Optical Image Stabiliser - Yes
Sensors Accelerometer, magnetometer, digital level metre Magnetometer, digital level metre
PROCESSOR Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Image Processor - PRIME IV
LENS Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Lens Mounting Type Pentax K Pentax KAF2
FOCUSING Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Auto Focus TTL contrast and phase detection TTL contrast and phase detection
Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 27 33
Face Detection Yes -
VIEWFINDER Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Viewfinder Type Optical - fixed eye-level pentaprism Optical - fixed eye-level pentaprism
Optical Viewfinder Field Coverage 100% 100%
Optical Viewfinder Magnification 0.95x 0.70x
Optical Viewfinder Dioptric Correction Range -2.5 to +1.5 -3 to +1.2
Interchangeable Focusing Screens Yes -
EXPOSURE & WHITE BALANCE Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
ISO (Max) 51200 204800
Native ISO 100-51200 100-204800
Light Sensitivity ISO 100-51200, ISO auto (100-51200) ISO auto, ISO 100-204800
Exposure Metering Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot
Exposure Modes Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, ISO priority, shutter & aperture priority Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, ISO priority, shutter & aperture priority
Special Effects Soft, Slim, Pastel, fisheye, natural, bright, Vibrant, Sketch, monochrome, Muted, landscape, portrait, Water Colour, miniature, Cross Process, Retro, Colour Extract, Toy camera, starburst, High contrast, Colour Invert, Bleach Bypass, Posterisation, Radiant, Reversal Film, Shading, Tone Expansion, Bold Monochrome, Unicolour Bold -
White Balance Custom, automatic, presets Custom, automatic, presets
White Balance Presets Cloudy, tungsten light, Flash, daylight, shade, fluorescent light (cool white), fluorescent light (daylight), fluorescent light (warm white), Color Temperature Enhancement (CTE), fluorescent light (daylight white) Cloudy, tungsten light, Flash, daylight, shade, fluorescent light (cool white), fluorescent light (daylight), fluorescent light (warm white), Color Temperature Enhancement (CTE), fluorescent light (daylight white), ASTRO TRACER
Shutter Type Mechanical electronically-controlled Mechanical electronically-controlled
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000 sec 1/8000 sec
Min Shutter Speed 30 sec 30 sec
Exposure Compensation ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
Auto Exposure Bracketing 2, 3 or 5 steps -
X-sync Speed 1/180 sec 1/200sec
Exposure Range EV -3-20 (ISO 100) EV -3-20 (ISO 100)
DISPLAY Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Type 3.2" LCD display 3.2" LCD display
Display Format 1,037,000 pixels 1,037,000 pixels
Display Form Factor Built-in Folding
Display Features Colour control, contrast control, display brightness control Colour control, display brightness control, display saturation control
VIDEOGRAPHY / CAMCORDER Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Digital Video Format AVI, MJPEG, H.264 AVI, MJPEG, H.264
Image Recording Format JPEG, DNG (RAW), PEF (RAW) JPEG, RAW + JPEG, DNG (RAW), PEF (RAW)
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Microphone Operation Mode Mono Stereo
MEMORY Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Memory Card Slot Dual SD card Dual SD card
Supported Memory Cards SD Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card SD Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card
Memory Card Included No No
Image Storage RAW 6016 x 4000
JPEG 6016 x 4000
JPEG 4608 x 3072
JPEG 3072 x 2048
JPEG 1920 x 1280
RAW 7360 x 4912
JPEG 7360 x 4912
JPEG 5760 x 3840
JPEG 4224 x 2816
JPEG 1920 x 1280
RAW 4800 x 3200
JPEG 4800 x 3200
Video Capture 1920 x 1080
1280 x 720
1920 x 1080
1280 x 720
BATTERY AND CHARGING Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Battery Type Pentax D-Li90 Lithium Ion Pentax D-Li90 Lithium Ion
Details Pentax D-Li90 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included) Pentax D-Li90 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included)
Battery Life Photo shooting - 720 shots
Playback - 6.2 hours
Photo shooting - 760 shots
Playback - 6.5 hours
CONNECTIONS Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Interface Composite video/audio, HDMI, USB 3.0 HDMI, USB 2.0, IEEE 802.11b/g/n
Print Standard Exif Print support -
Computer Connectivity - Mac, Windows
Flash Terminal Hot shoe, PC terminal Hot shoe, PC terminal
Connector Type USB 3.0
HDMI output (19 pin micro HDMI Type D)
Microphone (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
Headphones (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
Remote control
USB 2.0 (5 pin Micro-USB Type B)
HDMI output (19 pin micro HDMI Type D)
Microphone (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
Headphones (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
FEATURES Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Self-Timer Delay 2sec, 12sec 2sec, 12sec
Continuous Shooting Speed 3 frames per second, 4.5 frames per second, 8.3 frames per second 3 frames per second, 0.7 frames per second, 6.5 frames per second, 4.4 frames per second
HDR Mode Auto HDR mode Auto HDR mode
Additional Features Audio recording, sharpness control, digital image rotation, camera orientation detection, histogram display, AE lock, AF lock, cropping an image, resizing an image, saturation control, interval shooting mode, in-camera film editing, in-camera RAW processing, peripheral illumination correction, HDR image enhancement technology, Shade Correction, Eye-Fi Card Ready, High ISO NR, no anti-aliasing filter, Lens Distortion Correction, primary colour filter, Automatic composition correction function, colour moire correction, Lateral Chromatic Aberration Correction, Flucard Ready, anti-aliasing filter simulator, diffraction correction, Pixel Shift Resolution technology, colour fringe correction Digital image rotation, camera orientation detection, histogram display, AE lock, AF lock, interval shooting mode, peripheral illumination correction, no anti-aliasing filter, Lens Distortion Correction, primary colour filter, Interval Movie Record, Automatic composition correction function, Lateral Chromatic Aberration Correction, anti-aliasing filter simulator, diffraction correction, Pixel Shift Resolution technology, Operation Assist LED lighting
OTHERS Pentax K-3 II Pentax K-1
Included Accessories Eyepiece cover, carrying strap, battery charger, body cap, eyecup, shoe cap, sync terminal cover Eyepiece cover, carrying strap, battery charger, body cap, eyecup, shoe cap, sync terminal cover
Software Drivers & Utilities -
Max Operating Temperature 40 °C 40 °C
Min Operating Temperature -10 °C -10 °C
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