Panasonic GX8 vs Pentax K-3 II

Lets look more in depth at the Panasonic GX8 and Pentax K-3 II, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. The image resolution of the GX8 (20MP) and the K-3 II (24MP) is fairly comparable but the GX8 (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) boast different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The GX8 was introduced 3 months later than the K-3 II so they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic GX8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a concise summation of how the GX8 scores versus the K-3 II for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 and Pentax K-3 II. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic GX8 Gallery and Pentax K-3 II Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic GX8 has external measurements of 133mm x 78mm x 63mm (5.2" x 3.1" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 487 grams (1.07 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 II has measurements of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic GX8 and Pentax K-3 II in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the GX8 vs the K-3 II.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GX8 and K-3 II is 74 and 59 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizing merely by checking out specifications. The visual here might give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the GX8 and K-3 II.

Plainly, both the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The GX8 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-3 II will produce more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images way more aggressively.