Pentax K-3 II vs Sony A850
59 Imaging
66 Features
84 Overall
73
54 Imaging
68 Features
60 Overall
64
Pentax K-3 II vs Sony A850 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3.2" Fixed Display
- 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
- Older Model is Pentax K-3
(Full Review)
- 25MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 200 - 3200 (Push to 6400)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
- Revealed April 2010
Photography Glossary Pentax K-3 II vs Sony A850 Overview
Its time to take a closer look at the Pentax K-3 II vs Sony A850, both Advanced DSLR cameras by companies Pentax and Sony. The image resolution of the K-3 II (24MP) and the A850 (25MP) is pretty close but the K-3 II (APS-C) and A850 (Full frame) use totally different sensor sizing.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe K-3 II was manufactured 5 years after the A850 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).
Before diving straight into a full comparison, below is a short overview of how the K-3 II matches up vs the A850 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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This is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax K-3 II and Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The entire galleries are viewable at Pentax K-3 II Gallery and Sony A850 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Sony A850
| K-3 II | A850 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | April 2015 |  | April 2010 | More modern by 62 months |
| Screen dimension | 3.2" |  | 3" | Bigger screen (+0.2") |
| Screen resolution | 1037k |  | 922k | Crisper screen (+115k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Pentax K-3 II
| A850 | K-3 II |
|---|
Common features in the Pentax K-3 II and Sony A850
| K-3 II | A850 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus |  | Very accurate focusing | ||
| Screen type | Fixed |  | Fixed | Fixed screen |
| Selfie screen |  | No selfie screen | ||
| Touch screen |  | Neither comes with Touch screen |
Pentax K-3 II vs Sony A850 Physical Comparison
When you are planning to carry around your camera often, you need to factor its weight and measurements. The Pentax K-3 II comes with outside dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Sony A850 has proportions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") having a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).
Analyze the Pentax K-3 II vs Sony A850 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you use during that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the K-3 II vs the A850.
Using size and weight, the portability rating of the K-3 II and A850 is 59 and 54 respectively.
Pentax K-3 II vs Sony A850 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it's hard to see the gap in sensor sizes just by researching technical specs. The pic below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the K-3 II and A850.
As you can tell, each of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The K-3 II due to its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A850 will provide you with greater detail due to its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The younger K-3 II is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.
Pentax K-3 II vs Sony A850 Screen and ViewFinder
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Pentax K-3 II vs Sony A850 Specifications
| Pentax K-3 II | Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Pentax | Sony |
| Model type | Pentax K-3 II | Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 |
| Category | Advanced DSLR | Advanced DSLR |
| Revealed | 2015-04-23 | 2010-04-15 |
| Body design | Mid-size SLR | Mid-size SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | Prime III | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | APS-C | Full frame |
| Sensor measurements | 23.5 x 15.6mm | 35.9 x 24mm |
| Sensor area | 366.6mm² | 861.6mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 24 megapixels | 25 megapixels |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Maximum resolution | 6016 x 4000 | 6048 x 4032 |
| Maximum native ISO | 51200 | 3200 |
| Maximum boosted ISO | - | 6400 |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 200 |
| RAW files | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| AF touch | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| AF single | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| Center weighted AF | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detect AF | ||
| Contract detect AF | ||
| Phase detect AF | ||
| Total focus points | 27 | 9 |
| Cross type focus points | 25 | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | Pentax KAF2 | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Number of lenses | 151 | 143 |
| Focal length multiplier | 1.5 | 1 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Display diagonal | 3.2 inches | 3 inches |
| Display resolution | 1,037 thousand dot | 922 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch capability | ||
| Display tech | - | TFT Xtra Fine color LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 98% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.64x | 0.74x |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 30 secs | 30 secs |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/8000 secs |
| Continuous shooting speed | 8.3 frames/s | 3.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | no built-in flash |
| 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, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| External flash | ||
| AEB | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | 1/180 secs | 1/250 secs |
| 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) | - |
| Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | None |
| Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264 | - |
| Microphone jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Optional | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | BuiltIn | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 800g (1.76 pounds) | 895g (1.97 pounds) |
| Dimensions | 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") | 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | 80 | 79 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 23.6 | 23.8 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 13.6 | 12.2 |
| DXO Low light rating | 1106 | 1415 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 720 photos | 880 photos |
| Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | D-LI90 | NP-FM500H |
| Self timer | Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Storage media | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC | Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo |
| Storage slots | Dual | Dual |
| Retail pricing | $829 | $0 |
