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Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax S1

Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73
Pentax K-3 II front
 
Pentax Optio S1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax S1 Key Specs

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
  • Launched April 2015
  • Old Model is Pentax K-3
Pentax S1
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Released March 2011
Photography Glossary

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax S1 Overview

Following is a extended review of the Pentax K-3 II versus Pentax S1, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are built by Pentax. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the K-3 II (24MP) and S1 (14MP) and the K-3 II (APS-C) and S1 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The K-3 II was announced 4 years after the S1 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a concise view of how the K-3 II matches up against the S1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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

 K-3 II S1 
ReleasedApril 2015March 2011More modern by 51 months
Screen dimension3.2"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)

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

 S1 K-3 II 

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

 K-3 II S1 
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch screen Neither features Touch screen

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax S1 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and size. The Pentax K-3 II enjoys outer measurements of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Pentax S1 has specifications of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Pentax K-3 II versus Pentax S1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the K-3 II versus the S1.

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax S1 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the K-3 II and S1 is 59 and 93 respectively.

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

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax S1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to envision the contrast between sensor sizes merely by reading technical specs. The picture here will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the K-3 II and S1.

As you have seen, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The K-3 II with its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Pentax K-3 II will offer more detail with its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The fresher K-3 II will have a benefit in sensor tech.

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax S1 sensor size comparison

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax S1 Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Pentax K-3 II Portrait photography info
Pentax S1 Portrait photography info
79
you can focus manually
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
features face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
35
you can focus manually
decent MP (14 megapixels)
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Pentax K-3 II Street photography advice
Pentax S1 Street photography advice
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
above average high ISO (51,200)
fixed screen
56
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Pentax K-3 II Sports photography features
Pentax S1 Sports photography features
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking focus
weather proofing
supports phase detect autofocus
bad battery power (720 shots)
39
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14MP)
has tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax K-3 II Travel photography information
Pentax S1 Travel photography information
56
weather proofing
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
bad battery power (720 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
64
decent MP (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography information
Pentax S1 Landscape photography information
78
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3.2 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
above average high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
two card slots
bad battery power (720 shots)
42
you can focus manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax K-3 II Vlogging information
Pentax S1 Vlogging information
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with mic socket
screen isn't selfie friendly
28
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone jack
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Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax K-3 II and Pentax S1
 Pentax K-3 IIPentax Optio S1
General Information
Make Pentax Pentax
Model Pentax K-3 II Pentax Optio S1
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2015-04-23 2011-03-02
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Prime III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 6016 x 4000 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 51200 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 27 9
Cross focus points 25 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Pentax KAF2 fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus range - 1cm
Number of lenses 151 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3.2 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.64x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1500s
Continuous shutter speed 8.3 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash modes 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) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Optional None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 800 grams (1.76 lbs) 157 grams (0.35 lbs)
Dimensions 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 80 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 13.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 1106 not tested
Other
Battery life 720 pictures 260 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI90 D-LI92
Self timer Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Two Single
Launch price $829 $174