Pentax K-3 vs. Leica SL2

Camera Comparison, Reviews and Tests

In depth comparison and review of Pentax K-3 and Leica SL2. 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 vs. Leica SL2 Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
Product Type Digital camera - SLR with movie recording Digital camera - 4K - mirrorless system
Lens Included Body only Body only
Height 10 cm 10.7 cm
Width 13.15 cm 14.6 cm
Depth 7.75 cm 4.2 cm
Weight 715 g 835 g
Weight Details - Camera body only: 835 g
Body Material Magnesium alloy Aluminium, leatherette, magnesium
Enclosure Colour Black Black
Protection Weatherproof, freezeproof, dust-resistant Weatherproof, splashproof, freezeproof, IP54
SENSOR Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
Sensor Resolution 23.35 Megapixel 47 Megapixel
Optical Sensor Type CMOS CMOS
Total Pixels 24,710,000 pixels -
Effective Sensor Resolution 23,350,000 pixels 46,726,912 pixels
Optical Sensor Size APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) Full Frame (36 x 24 mm)
Frame Rate (Max Resolution) - 60 fps
Sensor Features Dust Reduction (image sensor vibration), anti-aliasing simulator function -
Image Stabiliser Optical (image sensor shift mechanism) Optical (image sensor shift mechanism)
Built-in Optical Image Stabiliser Yes -
Sensors Dust alert sensor, digital level metre -
PROCESSOR Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
Image Processor PRIME III Leica Maestro III
LENS Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
Lens Mounting Type Pentax K Leica L
FOCUSING Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
Auto Focus TTL phase detection TTL contrast detection
Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 27 225
Auto Focus Features - Focus Peaking function
AE/AF Control - Face-priority AF, Subject-tracking AF, Touch Area AF
Face Detection Yes Yes
VIEWFINDER Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
Viewfinder Type Optical - fixed eye-level pentaprism Electronic - OLED
Viewfinder Colour Support - Colour
Viewfinder Resolution - 5,760,000 pixels
Optical Viewfinder Field Coverage 100% -
Optical Viewfinder Magnification 0.95x -
Optical Viewfinder Dioptric Correction Range -2.5 to +1.5 -
Interchangeable Focusing Screens Yes -
EXPOSURE & WHITE BALANCE Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
ISO (Max) 51200 50000
Native ISO 100-51200 -
Light Sensitivity ISO 100-51200, ISO auto (100-51200) ISO 50-50000, ISO auto (100-50000)
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, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-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, daylight, shade, 2000K - 11500K, HMI (5600K), fluorescent warm (4000K), fluorescent cold (4500K)
Shutter Type Mechanical electronically-controlled Electronic, mechanical electronically-controlled
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000 sec 1/8000 sec
Min Shutter Speed 30 sec 60 min
Exposure Compensation ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps ±3 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
Auto Exposure Bracketing 2, 3 or 5 steps 3, 5 steps in 1/3 EV step
X-sync Speed 1/180 sec 1/250sec
Exposure Range EV -3-20 (ISO 100) -
DISPLAY Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
Type 3.2" LCD display 3.2" LCD display
Touch Screen - Yes
Display Format 1,037,000 pixels 2,100,000 pixels
Display Form Factor Built-in Built-in
Display Features Colour control -
FLASH Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
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 SL2
Digital Video Format AVI, MJPEG, H.264 H.264, MOV
Image Recording Format JPEG, DNG (RAW) + JPEG, DNG (RAW) JPEG, DNG (RAW)
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 -
Microphone Operation Mode Mono Stereo
Microphone Features Sensitivity control -
MEMORY Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
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, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card, SDHC UHS-II Memory Card, SDXC UHS-II Memory Card
Memory Card Included - No
Image Storage RAW 6016 x 4000
JPEG 6016 x 4000
JPEG 4608 x 3072
JPEG 3072 x 2048
JPEG 1920 x 1280
DNG (RAW) 8368 x 5584
JPEG 8368 x 5584
JPEG 6000 x 4000
JPEG 4272 x 2848
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
-
RAM Installed - 4 GB
BATTERY AND CHARGING Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
Battery Type Pentax D-Li90 Lithium Ion Leica BP-SCL4 Lithium Ion
Details Pentax D-Li90 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included) Leica BP-SCL4 Li-ion rechargeable battery - 1860 mAh (included)
Battery Life Photo shooting - 560 shots (50% flash usage)
Photo shooting - 720 shots (flash off)
Playback - 6.2 hours
Photo shooting - 370 shots (EVF off)
CONNECTIONS Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
Interface HDMI, USB 3.0 HDMI, USB-C, IEEE 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2
Connectivity Features - Remote control via mobile devices, remote live view, Wireless Image Transfer
Print Standard Exif Print support -
Tripod Mount Connection Point - 1/4" socket
Flash Terminal Hot shoe Hot shoe
Connector Type USB 2.0
HDMI output
Microphone
Headphones
Remote control
USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB Type-C)
HDMI output (19 pin HDMI Type A)
Microphone (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
Audio line-in (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
FEATURES Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
Self-Timer Delay 2sec, 12sec 2sec, 12sec
Continuous Shooting Speed 8.3 frames per second 3 frames per second, 20 frames per second, 10 frames per second, 6 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 Built-in speaker, USB powered, USB charging
OTHERS Pentax K-3 Leica SL2
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
Software Drivers & Utilities Leica FOTOS App
Max Operating Temperature 40 °C 40 °C
Min Operating Temperature -10 °C -10 °C
Service & Support - Limited warranty - 2 years
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