Sony A77 II vs Pentax K-3 II

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Sony A77 II vs Pentax K-3 II

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APS-C 366.6mm²
24.3 megapixels
ISO 100 - 25,600

Go in depth with our full Sony A77 II Review.
How does it shoot? Sony A77 II in the real world.
See real-world photos taken with the A77 II.
Compare Sony A77 II image quality against competitors.
What’s the bottom line? Read our Sony A77 II 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.

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Differences

Sony A77 II advantages over Pentax K-3 II

Tilt-swivel screen
Tilt-swivel vs none
Tilt and swivel the screen for maximum shooting flexibility
In-camera panoramas
Yes vs No
Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
Fast startup
~0.80 vs 1.2 sec
Faster startup lets you catch the moment
Built-in Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi vs None
Share your photos wirelessly
NFC
Yes vs No
Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
Internal flash
Internal flash vs None
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
More viewfinder magnification
0.73x vs 0.63x
Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
More AF points
79 vs 27
More AF points improve autofocus
Faster JPEG shooting
11.5 fps vs 8.1 fps
Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
Faster RAW shooting
12.0 fps vs 8.2 fps
Faster RAW shooting in burst mode

Pentax K-3 II advantages over Sony A77 II

Lens selection
Excellent vs Good
Better lens selection gives you more options
Less expensive
$830* vs $1798
Save money for lenses or accessories
High resolution composite
Yes vs No
Combine multiple shots to form a super hi-res version
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 480 shots
Capture more photos
More cross-type AF points
25 vs 15
Cross-type AF points improve autofocus performance
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
Bigger JPEG buffer
60 vs 26 shots
Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)

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
In-Camera Image Stabilization
Both provide
Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
Top deck display
Both provide
Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
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

Touchscreen
Neither provide
Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
Built-in Bluetooth
Neither provide
Always-on wireless connectivity
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

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Adorama
Read A77 II User Reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read K-3 II User Reviews

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Buy the Pentax K-3 II

Body Only (Black)

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Review Excerpt

Excellent image quality, especially lower ISOs; Improved high ISO performance when using RAW; Very good dynamic range; High-resolution images; Very fast single-shot autofocus; 12fps burst mode with C-AF; Good value for its class.
Lackluster continuous AF performance; Strong NR processing in high ISO JPEGs; Sluggish buffer clearing; Short battery life compared to most DSLRs; Joystick control easy to press accidentally.
Read our Sony A77 II 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 Canon 70D

Sony A77 II

Canon 70D

$1198
APS-C

Focus peaking
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$999
APS-C

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Sony A77 II vs Canon 70D

Pentax K-3 II

Canon 70D

$830
APS-C

Focus peaking
Less expensive

$999
APS-C

Tilt-swivel screen
Touchscreen

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Canon 70D

Compared to Canon 7D Mark II

Sony A77 II

Canon 7D Mark II

$1198
APS-C

Focus peaking
Tilt-swivel screen

$1597
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

Compare Sony A77 II vs Canon 7D Mark II

Pentax K-3 II

Canon 7D Mark II

$830
APS-C

Less expensive
Focus peaking

$1597
APS-C

Fast startup
On-sensor phase detect

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Canon 7D Mark II

Compared to Canon T6i

Sony A77 II

Canon T6i

$1198
APS-C

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$699
APS-C

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Sony A77 II 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 Nikon D7200

Sony A77 II

Nikon D7200

$1198
APS-C

Tilt-swivel screen
Focus peaking

$1097
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

Compare Sony A77 II vs Nikon D7200

Pentax K-3 II

Nikon D7200

$830
APS-C

Less expensive
Focus peaking

$1097
APS-C

Fast startup
Built-in Wi-Fi

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Nikon D7200

Compared to Pentax KP

Sony A77 II

Pentax KP

$1198
APS-C

Tilt-swivel screen
In-camera panoramas

$999
APS-C

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Sony A77 II 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

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