Pentax K-3 vs. Leica M

Camera Comparison, Reviews and Tests

Detailed comparison and review of Pentax K-3 and Leica M. With our comprehensive overview, you can simply compare design, sensors, proximity characteristics, memory capacities, but also other key features of both cameras and easily decide which one is the right choice for you. Our goal is to help you identify the main differences between products and find the camera that best fits your needs and expectations.

Camera Specifications Comparison

Pentax K-3 vs. Leica M Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Pentax K-3 Leica M
Product Type Digital camera - SLR with movie recording Digital camera - 1080p - rangefinder
Lens Included Body only Body only
Height 10 cm 8 cm
Width 13.15 cm 13.9 cm
Depth 7.75 cm 4.2 cm
Weight 715 g 680 g
Body Material Magnesium alloy Synthetic leather, magnesium
Enclosure Colour Black Black | Silver chrome
Protection Weatherproof, freezeproof, dust-resistant Weatherproof, splashproof, dust-resistant
SENSOR Pentax K-3 Leica M
Sensor Resolution 23.35 Megapixel 24.0 Megapixel
Optical Sensor Type CMOS CMOS
Total Pixels 24,710,000 pixels -
Effective Sensor Resolution 23,350,000 pixels -
Optical Sensor Size APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) Full Frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm)
Sensor Features Dust Reduction (image sensor vibration), anti-aliasing simulator function -
Image Stabiliser Optical (image sensor shift mechanism) -
Built-in Optical Image Stabiliser Yes -
Sensors Dust alert sensor, digital level metre Dust alert sensor, digital level metre
PROCESSOR Pentax K-3 Leica M
Image Processor PRIME III Leica Maestro
LENS Pentax K-3 Leica M
Lens Mounting Type Pentax K Leica M
FOCUSING Pentax K-3 Leica M
Auto Focus TTL phase detection -
Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 27 -
Auto Focus Features - Focus Peaking function, Manual Focus Check Live View
Face Detection Yes -
VIEWFINDER Pentax K-3 Leica M
Viewfinder Type Optical - fixed eye-level pentaprism Optical - real-image
Optical Viewfinder Field Coverage 100% -
Optical Viewfinder Magnification 0.95x 0.68x
Optical Viewfinder Dioptric Correction Range -2.5 to +1.5 -
Viewfinder Information - Shutter speed, exposure compensation, flash charge completion
Interchangeable Focusing Screens Yes -
Features - Automatic parallax compensation
EXPOSURE & WHITE BALANCE Pentax K-3 Leica M
ISO (Max) 51200 6400
Native ISO 100-51200 -
Light Sensitivity ISO 100-51200, ISO auto (100-51200) ISO 100, ISO 200-6400
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 Bulb, manual, 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 Film Simulation
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 (warm white), 2000K - 13100K
Shutter Type Mechanical electronically-controlled -
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000 sec 1/4000 sec
Min Shutter Speed 30 sec 60 sec
Exposure Compensation ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps ±3 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
Auto Exposure Bracketing 2, 3 or 5 steps 5 steps in 1/2, 1, 2, 3 EV steps
X-sync Speed 1/180 sec 1/180 sec
Exposure Range EV -3-20 (ISO 100) -
DISPLAY Pentax K-3 Leica M
Type 3.2" LCD display 3" LCD display
Display Format 1,037,000 pixels 920,000 pixels
Display Form Factor Built-in Built-in
Display Features Colour control Contrast control
FLASH Pentax K-3 Leica M
Camera Flash Pop-up flash -
Guide Number (m / ISO 100) 13 -
Flash Modes Fill-in mode, rear curtain sync, slow synchro, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction -
Red-Eye Reduction Yes -
Features AF illuminator, flash +/- compensation, wireless off-camera control -
VIDEOGRAPHY / CAMCORDER Pentax K-3 Leica M
Digital Video Format AVI, MJPEG, H.264 MJPEG, MOV
Image Recording Format JPEG, DNG (RAW) + JPEG, DNG (RAW) JPEG, DNG (RAW)
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Microphone Operation Mode Mono Mono
Microphone Features Sensitivity control Sensitivity control
MEMORY Pentax K-3 Leica M
Memory Card Slot Dual SD card 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
Image Storage RAW 6016 x 4000
JPEG 6016 x 4000
JPEG 4608 x 3072
JPEG 3072 x 2048
JPEG 1920 x 1280
JPEG 5952 x 3976
JPEG 4256 x 2832
JPEG 2976 x 1984
JPEG 1600 x 1080
DNG (RAW) 5952 x 3976
Video Capture H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 30 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 25 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 24 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 60 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 50 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 30 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 25 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 24 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 60 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 50 fps
MOV - 1920 x 1080 - 25 fps
MOV - 1920 x 1080 - 24 fps
MOV - 1280 x 720 - 25 fps
MOV - 1280 x 720 - 24 fps
MOV - 640 x 480 - 30 fps
MOV - 640 x 480 - 25 fps
MOV - 640 x 480 - 24 fps
BATTERY AND CHARGING Pentax K-3 Leica M
Battery Type Pentax D-Li90 Lithium Ion Lithium Ion - manufacturer-specific
Details Pentax D-Li90 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included) Li-ion rechargeable battery - 1800 mAh (included)
Battery Life Photo shooting - 560 shots (50% flash usage)
Photo shooting - 720 shots (flash off)
Playback - 6.2 hours
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CONNECTIONS Pentax K-3 Leica M
Interface HDMI, USB 3.0 -
Print Standard Exif Print support -
Flash Terminal Hot shoe Hot shoe
Connector Type USB 2.0
HDMI output
Microphone
Headphones
Remote control
-
FEATURES Pentax K-3 Leica M
Self-Timer Delay 2sec, 12sec 2sec, 12sec
Continuous Shooting Speed 8.3 frames per second 3 frames per second
HDR Mode Auto HDR mode -
Additional Features Audio recording, digital image rotation, camera orientation detection, histogram display, AE lock, AF lock, cropping an image, resizing an image, saturation control, GPS ready, interval shooting mode, mirror lock, in-camera RAW processing, peripheral illumination correction, HDR image enhancement technology, Shade Correction, Eye-Fi Card Ready, NR Slow Shutter, High ISO NR, Dynamic Range Compensation, no anti-aliasing filter, Lens Distortion Correction, primary colour filter, Interval Movie Record, Automatic composition correction function, colour moire correction, Lateral Chromatic Aberration Correction, Flucard Ready Sharpness control, saturation control
OTHERS Pentax K-3 Leica M
Included Accessories Battery charger, body cap, shoulder strap, USB cable, eyecup, shoe cap, battery grip terminal cover, sync terminal cover Carrying strap, battery charger, body cap, power cable, shoe cap
Software Drivers & Utilities Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Max Operating Temperature 40 °C 40 °C
Min Operating Temperature -10 °C 0 °C
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