Sony RX10 vs Pentax K-3 II

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Sony RX10 vs Pentax K-3 II

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1 inch 116.2mm²
20.2 megapixels
24.00mm - 200.00mm (35mm eq.)

Go in depth with our full Sony RX10 Review.
How does it shoot? Sony RX10 in the real world.
See real-world photos taken with the RX10.
Compare Sony RX10 image quality against competitors.
What’s the bottom line? Read our Sony RX10 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 Sony RX10 II
Compare RX10 vs RX10 II

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

Compare SONY RX10 II vs PENTAX K-3 III

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Differences

Sony RX10 advantages over Pentax K-3 II

Less expensive
$698 vs $830
Save money for lenses or accessories
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
Internal flash
Internal flash vs None
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
Integrated ND filter
Yes vs No
Shoot in daylight with a large aperture or slow shutter
Higher max flash sync
1/3200 vs 1/180 sec
Reduce the effect of ambient light in flash shots
More viewfinder magnification
0.70x vs 0.63x
Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
Faster JPEG shooting
10.0 fps vs 8.1 fps
Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)

Pentax K-3 II advantages over Sony RX10

Larger sensor
APS-C vs 1 inch
More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
Bigger pixels
~ 3.91 vs 2.41 microns
Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
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
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.
K-3 II test data on DxO Mark RX10 test data on DxO Mark

1,106 vs 474 iso
Take photos in low light with less noise
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 420 shots
Capture more photos
Thinner
77 mm vs 102 mm
Thinner
Less shutter lag
0.14 vs 0.23 sec
Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
More pixels
24.4 vs 20.2 megapixels
Higher resolution photos
Dual card slots
Yes vs No
Gives you more storage flexibility
Optional anti-aliasing filter
Optional vs Fixed
Lets you choose sharper photos or reduced moiré
Bigger JPEG buffer
60 vs 21 shots
Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
Faster RAW shooting
8.2 fps vs 6.5 fps
Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
Bigger RAW buffer
22 vs 10 shots
Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
Faster shutter
1/8000 vs 1/3200 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

Rear display
Both provide
Review photos on the back of the camera
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
RAW file ability
Both provide
Gives you more flexibility to develop your photos later
Manual focus
Both provide
AF is for the weak. Real photographers focus manually.
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
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
Slow-motion videos
Neither provide
Shoot slow-motion videos

User reviews

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Adorama
Read RX10 User Reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read K-3 II User Reviews

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Review Excerpt

Smaller than SLR/CSC with comparable lenses; Larger sensor than other bridge cameras; SLR-like body without the hassle of changing lenses; Weather-sealed; Constant f/2.8 maximum aperture; Generous zoom range; Great viewfinder; Swift performance; Plenty of enthusiast-friendly features including raw shooting; Wi-Fi and NFC wireless sharing.
Expensive compared to other bridge cameras; Menus respond slowly after burst shooting; Lens doesn't zoom very quickly; High ISO performance doesn't quite match RX100 II.
Read our Sony RX10 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 Panasonic FZ1000

Sony RX10

Panasonic FZ1000

$698
1 inch

Top deck display
Integrated ND filter

$773
1 inch

Tilt-swivel screen
Shoot 4K video

Compare Sony RX10 vs Panasonic FZ1000

Pentax K-3 II

Panasonic FZ1000

$830
APS-C

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

$773
1 inch

Tilt-swivel screen
Shoot 4K video

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Panasonic FZ1000

Compared to Leica V-LUX (Typ 114)

Sony RX10

Leica V-LUX (Typ 114)

$698
1 inch

Less expensive
Integrated ND filter

$899
1 inch

Shoot 4K video
More telephoto lens reach

Compare Sony RX10 vs Leica V-LUX (Typ 114)

Pentax K-3 II

Leica V-LUX (Typ 114)

$830
APS-C

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

$899
1 inch

Shoot 4K video
In-camera panoramas

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Leica V-LUX (Typ 114)

Compared to Canon T6i

Sony RX10

Canon T6i

$698
1 inch

Focus peaking
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$699
APS-C

Larger sensor
Less expensive

Compare Sony RX10 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 RX10 II

Sony RX10

Sony RX10 II

$698
1 inch

Less expensive

$998
1 inch

Shoot 4K video
Higher effective ISO

Compare Sony RX10 vs Sony RX10 II

Pentax K-3 II

Sony RX10 II

$830
APS-C

Larger sensor
Less expensive

$998
1 inch

Shoot 4K video
In-camera panoramas

Compare Pentax K-3 II vs Sony RX10 II

Compared to Pentax KP

Sony RX10

Pentax KP

$698
1 inch

Less expensive
In-camera panoramas

$999
APS-C

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

Compare Sony RX10 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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