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Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
81
Imaging
57
Features
75
Overall
64
Panasonic Lumix DC-LX100 II front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Panasonic LX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 17MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-75mm (F1.7-2.8) lens
  • 392g - 115 x 66 x 64mm
  • Announced August 2018
  • Superseded the Panasonic LX100
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Announced April 2015
  • Replaced the Pentax K-3
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Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

In this write-up, we will be evaluating the Panasonic LX100 II and Pentax K-3 II, former being a Large Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the LX100 II (17MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the LX100 II (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) feature different sensor size.

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The LX100 II was revealed 3 years later than the K-3 II and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic LX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a quick overview of how the LX100 II grades against the K-3 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

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

 LX100 II K-3 II 
AnnouncedAugust 2018April 2015Fresher by 41 months
Screen resolution1240k1037kClearer screen (+203k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

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

 K-3 II LX100 II 
Screen sizing3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")

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

 LX100 II K-3 II 
Focus manually More precise focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and measurements. The Panasonic LX100 II offers outer measurements of 115mm x 66mm x 64mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 392 grams (0.86 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-3 II has proportions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic LX100 II and Pentax K-3 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the LX100 II vs the K-3 II.

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the LX100 II and K-3 II is 81 and 59 respectively.

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

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing merely by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual below might give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the LX100 II and K-3 II.

As you can see, both of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The LX100 II with its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Pentax K-3 II will deliver greater detail because of its extra 7MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a little more aggressively. The more recent LX100 II provides an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

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

Panasonic LX100 II Street photography advice
Pentax K-3 II Street photography advice
77
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
includes focus by touch
very good high ISO (25,600)
no moving screen
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
above average ISO range (51,200)
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic LX100 II
Sports photography with Pentax K-3 II
71
silent shutter (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (17 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
better than average battery power (340 CIPA)
does not have phase detect AF
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
supports phase detect autofocus
terrible battery (720 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic LX100 II
Travel photography with Pentax K-3 II
78
better than average battery power (340 CIPA)
has bluetooth
includes focus by touch
decent megapixels (17MP)
rather wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.7)
screen is not selfie friendly
56
weather proofing
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
terrible battery (720 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic LX100 II
Landscape photography with Pentax K-3 II
76
has manual focus
rather wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.7)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (17 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (340 shots)
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
78
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3.2")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
no anti aliasing filter
above average ISO range (51,200)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
two card slots
terrible battery (720 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic LX100 II Vlogging information
Pentax K-3 II Vlogging information
36
rather wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.7)
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing external microphone port
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with microphone socket
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Panasonic LX100 II vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic LX100 II and Pentax K-3 II
 Panasonic Lumix DC-LX100 IIPentax K-3 II
General Information
Make Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DC-LX100 II Pentax K-3 II
Class Large Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Announced 2018-08-22 2015-04-23
Physical type Large Sensor Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor 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 surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 17MP 24MP
Anti aliasing 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
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 49 27
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 24-75mm (3.1x) -
Maximal aperture f/1.7-2.8 -
Macro focus distance 3cm -
Total lenses - 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3.2 inches
Screen resolution 1,240k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
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 silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting rate 11.0 frames/s 8.3 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.00 m (with included external flash at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync (available with dedicated external flash)
External flash
Auto exposure 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
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 Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB DMW-BLE9 lithium-ion battery & USB charger USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 392 grams (0.86 lbs) 800 grams (1.76 lbs)
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 score not tested 80
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.6
DXO Low light score not tested 1106
Other
Battery life 340 shots 720 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I supported) Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One Dual
Pricing at launch $998 $829