Pentax K-3 II vs Sony S980

Its time to take a deeper look at the Pentax K-3 II versus Sony S980, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Pentax and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the K-3 II (24MP) and S980 (12MP) and the K-3 II (APS-C) and S980 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizes.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The K-3 II was unveiled 6 years later than the S980 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the K-3 II grades against the S980 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax K-3 II & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The full galleries are available at Pentax K-3 II Gallery & Sony S980 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Pentax K-3 II comes with exterior 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) whilst the Sony S980 has dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Pentax K-3 II versus Sony S980 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the K-3 II compared to the S980.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the K-3 II and S980 is 59 and 94 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing only by reviewing a spec sheet. The photograph below will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the K-3 II and S980.

Clearly, both the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The K-3 II with its larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh less difficult and the Pentax K-3 II will offer more detail having an extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos way more aggressively. The newer K-3 II should have a benefit in sensor technology.