Pentax K-3 vs Sony A7R

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Pentax K-3 vs Sony A7R

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

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

35mm 861.6mm²
36.4 megapixels
ISO 100 - 25,600

Go in depth with our full Sony A7R Review.
See real-world photos taken with the A7R.

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

Succeeded by the Sony A7R II
Compare A7R vs A7R II

Compare PENTAX K-3 II vs SONY A7R II

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Differences

Pentax K-3 advantages over Sony A7R

Lens selection
Excellent vs Good
Better lens selection gives you more options
In-Camera Image Stabilization
Yes vs No
Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
Fast startup
~0.90 vs 2.0 sec
Faster startup lets you catch the moment
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

560 vs 340 shots
Capture more photos
Internal flash
Internal flash vs None
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
Top deck display
Yes vs No
Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
Less shutter lag
0.14 vs 0.36 sec
Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
Dual card slots
Yes vs No
Gives you more storage flexibility
Optional anti-aliasing filter
Optional vs None
Lets you choose sharper photos or reduced moiré
Faster JPEG shooting
7.1 fps vs 4.0 fps
Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
Bigger JPEG buffer
75 vs 15 shots
Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
Faster RAW shooting
7.1 fps vs 4.0 fps
Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
Bigger RAW buffer
24 vs 15 shots
Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)

Sony A7R advantages over Pentax K-3

Larger sensor
35mm vs APS-C
More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
Bigger pixels
~ 4.88 vs 3.91 microns
Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
In-camera panoramas
Yes vs No
Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
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
Higher effective ISO

Higher effective ISO

Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

You can learn more at our glossary entry.

Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.
A7R test data on DxO Mark K-3 test data on DxO Mark

2,746 vs 1,216 iso
Take photos in low light with less noise
Thinner
48 mm vs 77 mm
Thinner
More viewfinder magnification
0.71x vs 0.63x
Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
More pixels
36.4 vs 24.4 megapixels
Higher resolution photos

Similarities

Common Strengths

Focus peaking
Both provide
Your camera will highlight what's in focus
Eye-level viewfinder
Both provide
You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
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
Headphone jack
Both provide
Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
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
Touchscreen
Neither provide
Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
Built-in Bluetooth
Neither provide
Always-on wireless connectivity
Built-in GPS
Neither provide
Geotag your photos
On-sensor phase detect
Neither provide
Usually improves live view and video AF performance
Slow-motion videos
Neither provide
Shoot slow-motion videos

User reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read K-3 User Reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read A7R User Reviews

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Review Excerpt

Top-notch image quality; Great ergonomics in a compact body; Unique on-demand low-pass filtering; Broad sensitivity range; Large and bright viewfinder for an APS-C camera; Dual card slots; Optional Wi-Fi remote control
AE Lock button is poorly located; Below-average battery life for a DSLR; Rather dated-looking menu system; Requires a different battery grip accessory than its predecessors; Less third-party support than some rivals
Read our Pentax K-3 Review

Incredibly small body for a fully-featured, full-frame camera; Resolution that rivals a medium-format camera; Excellent image quality even at very high sensitivities; Decent performance bearing in mind its extremely high resolution; Accepts existing Alpha-mount and E-mount lenses, and can optionally crop to APS-C image circle.
Extreme resolution makes focus and lens quality critical; Modest performance; Loud shutter; Lacks hybrid autofocus of the A7; Mediocre battery life when using electronic viewfinder; Slow X-sync; Limited selection of native Sony FE lenses.
Read our Sony A7R Review

The Competition

Compared to Sony A7

Pentax K-3

Sony A7

$699
APS-C

Lens selection
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$748
35mm

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

Compare Pentax K-3 vs Sony A7

Sony A7R

Sony A7

$1399
35mm

Higher effective ISO
More pixels

$748
35mm

Less expensive
Bigger pixels

Compare Sony A7R vs Sony A7

Compared to Nikon D7100

Pentax K-3

Nikon D7100

$699
APS-C

Focus peaking
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$745
APS-C

Fast startup
Longer stills battery life

Compare Pentax K-3 vs Nikon D7100

Sony A7R

Nikon D7100

$1399
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$745
APS-C

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Sony A7R vs Nikon D7100

Compared to Nikon D5300

Pentax K-3

Nikon D5300

$699
APS-C

Focus peaking
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$549
APS-C

Tilt-swivel screen
Fast startup

Compare Pentax K-3 vs Nikon D5300

Sony A7R

Nikon D5300

$1399
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$549
APS-C

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Sony A7R vs Nikon D5300

Compared to Nikon D7200

Pentax K-3

Nikon D7200

$699
APS-C

Focus peaking
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$1016
APS-C

Fast startup
Built-in Wi-Fi

Compare Pentax K-3 vs Nikon D7200

Sony A7R

Nikon D7200

$1399
35mm

Less expensive
Focus peaking

$1016
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

Compare Sony A7R vs Nikon D7200

Compared to Sony A7R II

Pentax K-3

Sony A7R II

$699
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

$2348
35mm

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

Compare Pentax K-3 vs Sony A7R II

Sony A7R

Sony A7R II

$1399
35mm

Less expensive
Lighter weight

$2348
35mm

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Shoot 4K video

Compare Sony A7R vs Sony A7R II

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