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Panasonic S1 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
96
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Panasonic S1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Revealed January 2011
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 Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Replaced the Pentax K-3
Photography Glossary

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic S1 versus Pentax K-3 II, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the S1 (12MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the S1 (1/2.3") and K-3 II (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The S1 was announced 5 years before the K-3 II which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic S1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summation of how the S1 matches up vs the K-3 II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic S1 over the Pentax K-3 II

 S1 K-3 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Panasonic S1

 K-3 II S1 
RevealedApril 2015January 2011More modern by 52 months
Manually focus Very exact focus
Screen dimensions3.2"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic S1 and Pentax K-3 II

 S1 K-3 II 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic S1 features physical measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 II has dimensions 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 S1 versus Pentax K-3 II in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the S1 compared to the K-3 II.

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the S1 and K-3 II is 96 and 59 respectively.

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be hard to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes merely by checking out technical specs. The picture below will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the S1 and K-3 II.

As you can tell, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The S1 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-3 II will provide greater detail with its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged S1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic S1
Portrait photography with Pentax K-3 II
21
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
79
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic S1 Street photography factors
Pentax K-3 II Street photography factors
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (117 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
very good high ISO (51,200)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic S1 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-3 II Sports photography highlights
27
image stabilization (Optical)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
not so great battery life (720 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic S1 Travel photography information
Pentax K-3 II Travel photography information
62
lighter than competitors in class (117 grams)
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
56
weather sealing
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
not so great battery life (720 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic S1 Landscape photography details
Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography details
32
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not possible
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
does not have Timelapse recording
78
focusing manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
no anti-alias filter
very good high ISO (51,200)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
has double storage slots
not so great battery life (720 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic S1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Vlogging camera
31
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (117g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone jack
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes mic port
screen is not selfie friendly
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Panasonic S1 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S1 and Pentax K-3 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 Pentax K-3 II
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2011-01-05 2015-04-23
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine IV Prime III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 6016 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 51200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.1-5.6 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Total lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7" 3.2"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 8s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed - 8.3fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.30 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction 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)
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 117 gr (0.26 pounds) 800 gr (1.76 pounds)
Physical dimensions 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 80
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 1106
Other
Battery life 240 photographs 720 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One 2
Cost at release $269 $829