Canon EOS M3 vs Pentax K-3 II

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Canon EOS M3 vs Pentax K-3 II

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APS-C 332.3mm²
24.2 megapixels
ISO 100 - 12,800

Go in depth with our full Canon EOS M3 Review.
How does it shoot? Canon EOS M3 in the real world.
See real-world photos taken with the EOS M3.
Compare Canon EOS M3 image quality against competitors.
What’s the bottom line? Read our Canon EOS M3 conclusion.

APS-C 366.6mm²
24.4 megapixels
ISO 100 - 51,200

Go in depth with our full Pentax K-3 II Review.
How does it shoot? Pentax K-3 II in the real world.
See real-world photos taken with the K-3 II.
Compare Pentax K-3 II image quality against competitors.
What’s the bottom line? Read our Pentax K-3 II conclusion.

Succeeded by the Canon EOS M6
Compare EOS M3 vs EOS M6

Succeeded by the Pentax K-3 III
Compare K-3 II vs K-3 III

Compare CANON EOS M6 vs PENTAX K-3 III

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Differences

Canon EOS M3 advantages over Pentax K-3 II

Less expensive
$700 vs $830*
Save money for lenses or accessories
Touchscreen
Touch vs No touch
Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
Tiltable Screen
Tiltable vs Fixed
Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
Built-in Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi vs None
Share your photos wirelessly
NFC
Yes vs No
Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
On-sensor phase detect
Yes vs No
Usually improves live view and video AF performance
Internal flash
Internal flash vs None
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
Thinner
44 mm vs 77 mm
Thinner
Lighter weight
366g vs 785g
Lighter weight
Bigger JPEG buffer
Unlimited vs 60 shots
Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)

Pentax K-3 II advantages over Canon EOS M3

Lens selection
Excellent vs Limited
Better lens selection gives you more options
Larger sensor
APS-C vs APS-C
More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
Eye-level viewfinder
Eye-level vs Rear display only
You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
In-Camera Image Stabilization
Yes vs No
Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
High resolution composite
Yes vs No
Combine multiple shots to form a super hi-res version
Fast startup
~1.20 vs 2.4 sec
Faster startup lets you catch the moment
More dynamic range

More dynamic range

Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.
K-3 II test data on DxO Mark EOS M3 test data on DxO Mark

13.6 vs 11.8 evs
Retain detail in highlight and shadows
Built-in GPS
GPS vs None
Geotag your photos
Longer stills battery life
More info

Longer stills battery life

Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

720 vs 250 shots
Capture more photos
Top deck display
Yes vs No
Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
Dual card slots
Yes vs No
Gives you more storage flexibility
Headphone jack
Yes vs No
Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
Optional anti-aliasing filter
Optional vs Fixed
Lets you choose sharper photos or reduced moiré
Faster JPEG shooting
8.1 fps vs 4.2 fps
Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
Faster RAW shooting
8.2 fps vs 4.0 fps
Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
Bigger RAW buffer
22 vs 4 shots
Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
Faster shutter
1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
Shoot wide open in bright light
Higher extended ISO
51200 vs 25600 ISO
Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

Focus peaking
Both provide
Your camera will highlight what's in focus
External Mic Jack
Both provide
Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
HDMI out
Both provide
Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
Hot shoe
Both provide
Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
Bulb shutter
Both provide
Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

Tilt-swivel screen
Neither provide
Tilt and swivel the screen for maximum shooting flexibility
In-camera panoramas
Neither provide
Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
Built-in Bluetooth
Neither provide
Always-on wireless connectivity
Slow-motion videos
Neither provide
Shoot slow-motion videos

User reviews

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Adorama
Read EOS M3 User Reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read K-3 II User Reviews

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Body Only (Black)
Kit with 18-55mm and 55-200mm lens (Black)
Kit with 18-55mm lens (Black)
Kit with 18-55mm lens (White)

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Buy the Pentax K-3 II

Body Only (Black)

All K-3 II Deals

Review Excerpt

DSLR image quality & resolution in a mirrorless body; Higher-res 24MP APS-C sensor; Much improved AF performance; Better ergonomics with full PASM dial; Built-in Wi-Fi & NFC; Tilting LCD.
No built-in EVF; Limited native lens selection; Slow burst mode; Shallow buffer depth with RAW files; No 60p video frame rate or 4K video option.
Read our Canon EOS M3 Review

Top-notch image quality; Spectacular detail from Pixel Shift Resolution; Better performance than K-3; Geotag images with no accessories; Great ergonomics in a compact body; Clever on-demand low-pass filtering; Broad sensitivity range; Large and bright viewfinder for an APS-C camera; Dual card slots
No built-in flash strobe; No wireless flash support out of the box; AstroTracer function can be finicky; AE Lock button is poorly located; Below-average battery life for a prosumer DSLR; Requires a different battery grip accessory than its predecessors
Read our Pentax K-3 II Review

The Competition

Compared to Samsung NX3000

Canon EOS M3

Samsung NX3000

$700
APS-C

Focus peaking
Touchscreen

$950
APS-C

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

Compare Canon EOS M3 vs Samsung NX3000

Pentax K-3 II

Samsung NX3000

$830
APS-C

Lens selection
Focus peaking

$950
APS-C

In-camera panoramas
Tiltable Screen

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Samsung NX3000

Compared to Samsung NX500

Canon EOS M3

Samsung NX500

$700
APS-C

More telephoto lens reach
Internal flash

$1600
APS-C

Larger sensor
Shoot 4K video

Compare Canon EOS M3 vs Samsung NX500

Pentax K-3 II

Samsung NX500

$830
APS-C

Lens selection
Eye-level viewfinder

$1600
APS-C

Shoot 4K video
Touchscreen

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Samsung NX500

Compared to Canon T6i

Canon EOS M3

Canon T6i

$700
APS-C

Focus peaking
Higher effective ISO

$699
APS-C

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Canon EOS M3 vs Canon T6i

Pentax K-3 II

Canon T6i

$830
APS-C

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$699
APS-C

Less expensive
Tilt-swivel screen

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Canon T6i

Compared to Pentax KP

Canon EOS M3

Pentax KP

$700
APS-C

Less expensive
Touchscreen

$999
APS-C

Lens selection
Larger sensor

Compare Canon EOS M3 vs Pentax KP

Pentax K-3 II

Pentax KP

$830
APS-C

Less expensive
Built-in GPS

$999
APS-C

Tiltable Screen
Built-in Wi-Fi

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax KP

Compared to Fujifilm X-E3

Canon EOS M3

Fujifilm X-E3

$700
APS-C

Tiltable Screen
NFC

$699
APS-C

Lens selection
Larger sensor

Compare Canon EOS M3 vs Fujifilm X-E3

Pentax K-3 II

Fujifilm X-E3

$830
APS-C

Lens selection
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$699
APS-C

Shoot 4K video
Touchscreen

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Fujifilm X-E3

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