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Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3

Portability
81
Imaging
57
Features
75
Overall
64
Panasonic Lumix DC-LX100 II front
 
Pentax K-3 front
Portability
59
Imaging
65
Features
85
Overall
73

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 Key Specs

Panasonic LX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 17MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-75mm (F1.7-2.8) lens
  • 392g - 115 x 66 x 64mm
  • Released August 2018
  • Superseded the Panasonic LX100
Pentax K-3
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Announced April 2014
  • Updated by Pentax K-3 II
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Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3, one is a Large Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the LX100 II (17MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the LX100 II (Four Thirds) and K-3 (APS-C) boast different sensor sizing.

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The LX100 II was unveiled 4 years after the K-3 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic LX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief summation of how the LX100 II matches up vs the K-3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic LX100 II over the Pentax K-3

 LX100 II K-3 
AnnouncedAugust 2018April 2014More modern by 54 months
Screen resolution1240k1037kCrisper screen (+203k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 over the Panasonic LX100 II

 K-3 LX100 II 
Screen size3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")

Common features in the Panasonic LX100 II and Pentax K-3

 LX100 II K-3 
Manual focus More precise focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry around your camera often, you should factor in its weight and size. The Panasonic LX100 II features external dimensions of 115mm x 66mm x 64mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 392 grams (0.86 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 has specifications of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Check the Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the LX100 II compared to the K-3.

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the LX100 II and K-3 is 81 and 59 respectively.

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizes simply by researching technical specs. The image here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the LX100 II and K-3.

As you can tell, the two cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The LX100 II having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field tougher and the Pentax K-3 will result in more detail having an extra 7MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The fresher LX100 II should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 sensor size comparison

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic LX100 II as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-3 as a Portrait photography camera
74
focusing manually
decent megapixels (17MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
79
has manual focus
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic LX100 II Street photography details
Pentax K-3 Street photography details
77
has image stabilization (Optical)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
comes with focus by touch
very good high ISO (25,600)
screen does not articulate
69
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
above average high ISO (51,200)
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic LX100 II as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-3 as a Sports photography camera
71
silent shutter (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (17MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
great battery (340 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect AF
low battery (560 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic LX100 II Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-3 Travel photography highlights
78
great battery (340 CIPA)
has bluetooth
comes with focus by touch
decent megapixels (17 megapixels)
rather wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.7)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
60
weather proof
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
low battery (560 per charge)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic LX100 II
Landscape photography with Pentax K-3
76
focusing manually
rather wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.7)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (17MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
great battery (340 CIPA)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
77
has manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3.2 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
does not have anti-alias filter
above average high ISO (51,200)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
two card slots
low battery (560 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic LX100 II Vlogging information
Pentax K-3 Vlogging information
36
rather wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.7)
touch screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
missing microphone port
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external microphone socket
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic LX100 II and Pentax K-3
 Panasonic Lumix DC-LX100 IIPentax K-3
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DC-LX100 II Pentax K-3
Category Large Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Released 2018-08-22 2014-04-10
Physical type Large Sensor Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine Prime III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 17MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4736 x 3552 6016 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 25600 51200
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 49 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 24-75mm (3.1x) -
Maximal aperture f/1.7-2.8 -
Macro focusing distance 3cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3.2 inches
Display resolution 1,240k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 2,760k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 1800s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting rate 11.0fps 8.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (with included external flash at ISO 100) 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, on, off, red-eye, slow sync, slow sync + red-eye, trailing curtain sync, high speed, wireless, manual
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB DMW-BLE9 lithium-ion battery & USB charger USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 392g (0.86 pounds) 800g (1.76 pounds)
Physical dimensions 115 x 66 x 64mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 2.5") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 80
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 1216
Other
Battery life 340 photographs 560 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I supported) Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Two
Retail pricing $998 $639