Sony A7R vs Pentax K-3 II

Cameras
Compare Cameras
Sony A7R vs Pentax K-3 II

Leave Feedback

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.

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 Sony A7R II
Compare A7R vs A7R II

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

Compare SONY A7R II vs PENTAX K-3 III

Buy From

Differences

Sony A7R advantages over Pentax K-3 II

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 II test data on DxO Mark

2,746 vs 1,106 iso
Take photos in low light with less noise
Thinner
48 mm vs 77 mm
Thinner
Lighter weight
465g vs 785g
Lighter weight
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

Pentax K-3 II advantages over Sony A7R

Lens selection
Excellent vs Good
Better lens selection gives you more options
Less expensive
$830 vs $1000
Save money for lenses or accessories
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 2.0 sec
Faster startup lets you catch the moment
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 340 shots
Capture more photos
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
8.1 fps vs 4.0 fps
Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
Bigger JPEG buffer
60 vs 15 shots
Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
Faster RAW shooting
8.2 fps vs 4.0 fps
Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
Bigger RAW buffer
22 vs 15 shots
Larger buffer for RAW shots (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
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
On-sensor phase detect
Neither provide
Usually improves live view and video AF performance
Internal flash
Neither provide
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
Slow-motion videos
Neither provide
Shoot slow-motion videos

User reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read A7R User Reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read K-3 II User Reviews

Buy From

Your purchases support this site

Buy the Sony A7R

Body Only

All A7R Deals

Your purchases support this site

Buy the Pentax K-3 II

Body Only (Black)

All K-3 II Deals

Review Excerpt

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

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 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

Pentax K-3 II

Sony A7

$830
APS-C

Lens selection
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$748
35mm

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Sony A7

Compared to Canon T6i

Sony A7R

Canon T6i

$1399
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$699
APS-C

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Sony A7R 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 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

Pentax K-3 II

Sony A7R II

$830
APS-C

Lens selection
Less expensive

$2348
35mm

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Sony A7R II

Compared to Pentax KP

Sony A7R

Pentax KP

$1399
35mm

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

$999
APS-C

Lens selection
In-Camera Image Stabilization

Compare Sony A7R 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 Canon EOS RP

Sony A7R

Canon EOS RP

$1399
35mm

Less expensive
Focus peaking

$949
35mm

Tilt-swivel screen
Bigger pixels

Compare Sony A7R vs Canon EOS RP

Pentax K-3 II

Canon EOS RP

$830
APS-C

Focus peaking
Less expensive

$949
35mm

Tilt-swivel screen
Larger sensor

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Canon EOS RP

Compare Other Cameras?