Pentax K-3 vs. Nikon D3300

Camera Comparison, Reviews and Tests

Detailed comparison and review of Pentax K-3 and Nikon D3300. 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. Nikon D3300 Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Product Type Digital camera - SLR with movie recording Digital camera - SLR with Live View mode, movie recording
Lens Included Body only Body only
Height 10 cm 9.8 cm
Width 13.15 cm 12.4 cm
Depth 7.75 cm 7.55 cm
Weight 715 g 410 g
Body Material Magnesium alloy -
Enclosure Colour Black Black
Protection Weatherproof, freezeproof, dust-resistant -
SENSOR Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Sensor Resolution 23.35 Megapixel 24.2 Megapixel
Optical Sensor Type CMOS CMOS
Total Pixels 24,710,000 pixels 24,780,000 pixels
Effective Sensor Resolution 23,350,000 pixels 24,200,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm)
Sensor Dust Reduction - Yes
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 -
PROCESSOR Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Image Processor PRIME III EXPEED 4
LENS Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Lens Mounting Type Pentax K Nikon F
FOCUSING Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Auto Focus TTL phase detection TTL contrast and phase detection
Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 27 11
AE/AF Control - Face-priority AF, Subject-tracking AF
Face Detection Yes Face-priority AF function
VIEWFINDER Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Viewfinder Type Optical - fixed eye-level pentaprism Optical - eye-level pentamirror
Optical Viewfinder Field Coverage 100% 95%
Optical Viewfinder Magnification 0.95x 0.85x
Optical Viewfinder Dioptric Correction Range -2.5 to +1.5 -1.7 to +0.5
Field of View Crop Factor - 1.5
Interchangeable Focusing Screens Yes -
EXPOSURE & WHITE BALANCE Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
ISO (Max) 51200 25600
Native ISO 100-51200 -
Light Sensitivity ISO 100-51200, ISO auto (100-51200) ISO auto, ISO 25600, ISO 100-12800
Exposure Metering Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot Centre-weighted, spot, 3D colour matrix II
Exposure Metering Zones - 420
Exposure Modes Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, ISO priority, shutter & aperture priority Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority
Shooting Programs - Landscape, portrait mode, close-up, night portrait, Children, panorama assist, sports mode
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 Neutral, Vivid, fisheye, illustration, monochrome, landscape, portrait, miniature, Toy camera, Silhouette, Colour sketch, Colour outline, Selective Colour, High Key, Night Vision, Low Key, Pop Colour, HDR Painting, Super Vivid, Image Overlay
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) Incandescent, fluorescent, cloudy, sunlight, Flash, shade
Shutter Type Mechanical electronically-controlled -
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000 sec 1/4000 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 1/3 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 0-20 (ISO 100)
DISPLAY Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Type 3.2" LCD display 3" LCD display
Display Format 1,037,000 pixels 921,000 pixels
Display Form Factor Built-in Built-in
Display Features Colour control Display brightness control
FLASH Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Camera Flash Pop-up flash Pop-up flash
Guide Number (m / ISO 100) 13 12
Flash Modes Fill-in mode, rear curtain sync, slow synchro, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction Fill-in mode, rear curtain sync, slow synchro, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction
Red-Eye Reduction Yes Yes
Features AF illuminator, flash +/- compensation, wireless off-camera control Flash +/- compensation
VIDEOGRAPHY / CAMCORDER Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Digital Video Format AVI, MJPEG, H.264 H.264, MOV
Image Recording Format JPEG, DNG (RAW) + JPEG, DNG (RAW) JPEG, RAW + JPEG, NEF (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 Nikon D3300
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
Image Storage RAW 6016 x 4000
JPEG 6016 x 4000
JPEG 4608 x 3072
JPEG 3072 x 2048
JPEG 1920 x 1280
6000 x 4000
4496 x 3000
2992 x 2000
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
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 60 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 50 fps
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 - 640 x 424 - 30 fps
H.264 - 640 x 424 - 25 fps
BATTERY AND CHARGING Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Battery Type Pentax D-Li90 Lithium Ion Nikon EN-EL14a Lithium Ion
Details Pentax D-Li90 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included) Nikon EN-EL14a Li-ion rechargeable battery (included)
Battery Life Photo shooting - 560 shots (50% flash usage)
Photo shooting - 720 shots (flash off)
Playback - 6.2 hours
Photo shooting - 700 shots
CONNECTIONS Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Interface HDMI, USB 3.0 Composite video/audio, HDMI, USB 2.0
Print Standard Exif Print support Direct print, DPOF support, Exif Print support, PictBridge support
Flash Terminal Hot shoe Hot shoe
Connector Type USB 2.0
HDMI output
Microphone
Headphones
Remote control
USB 2.0
HDMI output (19 pin mini HDMI Type C)
Composite video/audio output
Microphone (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
FEATURES Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Self-Timer Delay 2sec, 12sec 10 sec, 2sec, 5 sec, 20sec
Continuous Shooting Speed 8.3 frames per second 5 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 Digital image rotation, camera orientation detection, histogram display, in-camera red-eye removal, cropping an image, resizing an image, GPS ready, highlight point display, Active D-Lighting technology, built-in help guide, in-camera RAW processing, HDR image enhancement technology, Eye-Fi Card Ready, distortion control, perspective control, high ISO speed noise reduction
OTHERS Pentax K-3 Nikon D3300
Included Accessories Battery charger, body cap, shoulder strap, USB cable, eyecup, shoe cap, battery grip terminal cover, sync terminal cover Eyepiece cover, battery charger, body cap, neck strap, audio / video cable
Software Drivers & Utilities Nikon ViewNX 2
Max Operating Temperature 40 °C 40 °C
Min Operating Temperature -10 °C 0 °C
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