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Nikon D800 vs Pentax K-3 III

Portability
54
Imaging
73
Features
80
Overall
75
Nikon D800 front
 
Pentax K-3 Mark III front
Portability
58
Imaging
72
Features
86
Overall
77

Nikon D800 vs Pentax K-3 III Key Specs

Nikon D800
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Expand to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 900g - 146 x 123 x 82mm
  • Announced June 2012
  • Succeeded the Nikon D700
  • Refreshed by Nikon D810
Pentax K-3 III
(Full Review)
  • 26MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600000
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 820g - 135 x 104 x 74mm
  • Announced March 2021
Photography Glossary

Nikon D800 vs Pentax K-3 III Overview

Below is a comprehensive review of the Nikon D800 and Pentax K-3 III, both Advanced DSLR cameras by brands Nikon and Pentax. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the D800 (36MP) and K-3 III (26MP) and the D800 (Full frame) and K-3 III (APS-C) posses different sensor sizes.

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The D800 was announced 9 years earlier than the K-3 III and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a short introduction of how the D800 scores vs the K-3 III in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D800 over the Pentax K-3 III

 D800 K-3 III 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 III over the Nikon D800

 K-3 III D800 
AnnouncedMarch 2021June 2012More recent by 107 months
Screen resolution1620k921kSharper screen (+699k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Nikon D800 and Pentax K-3 III

 D800 K-3 III 
Manually focus More precise focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3.2"3.2"Equal screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Nikon D800 vs Pentax K-3 III Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Nikon D800 enjoys external measurements of 146mm x 123mm x 82mm (5.7" x 4.8" x 3.2") with a weight of 900 grams (1.98 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 III has dimensions of 135mm x 104mm x 74mm (5.3" x 4.1" x 2.9") with a weight of 820 grams (1.81 lbs).

Examine the Nikon D800 and Pentax K-3 III in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using during that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the D800 vs the K-3 III.

Nikon D800 vs Pentax K-3 III size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the D800 and K-3 III is 54 and 58 respectively.

Nikon D800 vs Pentax K-3 III top view buttons comparison

Nikon D800 vs Pentax K-3 III Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its difficult to picture the contrast in sensor measurements merely by seeing technical specs. The visual below might offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the D800 and K-3 III.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The D800 using its bigger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh easier and the Nikon D800 will show more detail with its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older D800 will be behind in sensor technology.

Nikon D800 vs Pentax K-3 III sensor size comparison

Nikon D800 vs Pentax K-3 III Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D800 vs Pentax K-3 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Nikon D800
Portrait photography with Pentax K-3 III
83
manual focus
high resolution (36MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detection focus
saves RAW formats
83
you can focus manually
MP count excellent (26MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Nikon D800 Street photography information
Pentax K-3 III Street photography information
60
big sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
71
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
supports touch to focus
environment sealing
great ISO range (1,600,000)
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Nikon D800 Sports photography factors
Pentax K-3 III Sports photography factors
74
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
high resolution (36 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports tracking autofocus
environment proof
has phase detect auto focus
low fps (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
79
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count excellent (26MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports tracking focus
environment sealing
supports phase detect AF
not so great battery pack (800 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Nikon D800 Travel photography advice
Pentax K-3 III Travel photography advice
66
environment proof
high resolution (36 megapixels)
flash built-in
display is not selfie friendly
64
environment sealing
supports bluetooth
supports touch to focus
MP count excellent (26MP)
not so great battery pack (800 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon D800 Landscape photography factors
Pentax K-3 III Landscape photography factors
79
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Nikon F mount)
screen size is good (3.2")
high resolution (36 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
two card slots
lack of image stabilization
80
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3.2 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count excellent (26 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
does not have anti aliasing filter
great ISO range (1,600,000)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
2 card slots
not so great battery pack (800 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D800 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-3 III as a Vlogging camera
30
supports face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external microphone socket
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
35
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focusing
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with microphone support
display is not selfie friendly
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Nikon D800 vs Pentax K-3 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D800 and Pentax K-3 III
 Nikon D800Pentax K-3 Mark III
General Information
Company Nikon Pentax
Model type Nikon D800 Pentax K-3 Mark III
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Announced 2012-06-11 2021-03-31
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Expeed 3 -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 23 x 15.5mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 356.5mm²
Sensor resolution 36MP 26MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 5:4 and 3:2 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 7360 x 4912 6192 x 4128
Maximum native ISO 6400 1600000
Maximum enhanced ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 51 101
Cross type focus points 15 25
Lens
Lens support Nikon F Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 309 156
Focal length multiplier 1 1.6
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3.2 inches 3.2 inches
Resolution of display 921 thousand dots 1,620 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT Color LCD with 170 degrees wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 4.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain, High-speed sync Auto, Auto + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow- speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/200 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 424 (24 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 24p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 900 gr (1.98 lb) 820 gr (1.81 lb)
Physical dimensions 146 x 123 x 82mm (5.7" x 4.8" x 3.2") 135 x 104 x 74mm (5.3" x 4.1" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 95 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 25.3 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 2853 not tested
Other
Battery life 900 photos 800 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL15 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 to 20 sec, 1 to 9 exposures at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2 or 3 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I), SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-I compliant Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported in slot 1)
Card slots 2 2
Retail cost $2,999 $1,999