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Pentax K-3 III vs Sony A900

Portability
58
Imaging
71
Features
86
Overall
77
Pentax K-3 Mark III front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 front
Portability
54
Imaging
66
Features
62
Overall
64

Pentax K-3 III vs Sony A900 Key Specs

Pentax K-3 III
(Full Review)
  • 26MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600000
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 820g - 135 x 104 x 74mm
  • Announced March 2021
Sony A900
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Introduced October 2008
  • Renewed by Sony A99
Photography Glossary

Pentax K-3 III vs Sony A900 Overview

Let's examine more closely at the Pentax K-3 III and Sony A900, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by competitors Pentax and Sony. The sensor resolution of the K-3 III (26MP) and the A900 (25MP) is fairly similar but the K-3 III (APS-C) and A900 (Full frame) possess different sensor size.

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The K-3 III was manufactured 12 years after the A900 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before diving straight into a complete comparison, below is a short highlight of how the K-3 III grades against the A900 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 III over the Sony A900

 K-3 III A900 
IntroducedMarch 2021October 2008More modern by 152 months
Display sizing3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1620k922kCrisper display (+698k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A900 over the Pentax K-3 III

 A900 K-3 III 

Common features in the Pentax K-3 III and Sony A900

 K-3 III A900 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Pentax K-3 III vs Sony A900 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Pentax K-3 III has physical dimensions of 135mm x 104mm x 74mm (5.3" x 4.1" x 2.9") and a weight of 820 grams (1.81 lbs) while the Sony A900 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Look at the Pentax K-3 III and Sony A900 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the K-3 III vs the A900.

Pentax K-3 III vs Sony A900 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the K-3 III and A900 is 58 and 54 respectively.

Pentax K-3 III vs Sony A900 top view buttons comparison

Pentax K-3 III vs Sony A900 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be difficult to picture the gap between sensor sizes purely by going over a spec sheet. The pic underneath will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the K-3 III and A900.

As you can see, both of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The K-3 III featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-3 III will offer you more detail due to its extra 1MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images far more aggressively. The fresher K-3 III provides a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Pentax K-3 III vs Sony A900 sensor size comparison

Pentax K-3 III vs Sony A900 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax K-3 III vs Sony A900 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax K-3 III Portrait photography features
Sony A900 Portrait photography features
82
focusing manually
excellent sensor resolution (26 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
71
focusing manually
resolution is high (25 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
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Street Comparison

Pentax K-3 III as a Street photography camera
Sony A900 as a Street photography camera
70
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
provides focus by touch
weather proofing
great ISO range (1,600,000)
screen is fixed
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Pentax K-3 III as a Sports photography camera
Sony A900 as a Sports photography camera
79
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
excellent sensor resolution (26MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
comes with phase detect AF
terrible battery (800 per charge)
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is high (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
environment proofing
supports phase detect AF
no liveview feature
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Pentax K-3 III Travel photography factors
Sony A900 Travel photography factors
64
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
provides focus by touch
excellent sensor resolution (26MP)
terrible battery (800 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
54
environment proofing
resolution is high (25 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Pentax K-3 III
Landscape photography with Sony A900
80
focusing manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3.2")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
excellent sensor resolution (26 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
does not have anti-alias filter
great ISO range (1,600,000)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
2 card slots
terrible battery (800 per charge)
72
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is high (25 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
has dual storage slots
no liveview feature
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax K-3 III as a Vlogging camera
Sony A900 as a Vlogging camera
35
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focusing
great video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have microphone support
screen is not selfie friendly
9
lack of video recording
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Pentax K-3 III vs Sony A900 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax K-3 III and Sony A900
 Pentax K-3 Mark IIISony Alpha DSLR-A900
General Information
Company Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax K-3 Mark III Sony Alpha DSLR-A900
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Announced 2021-03-31 2008-10-22
Body design Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor dimensions 23 x 15.5mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 356.5mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 26 megapixel 25 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 6192 x 4128 6048 x 4032
Max native ISO 1600000 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 101 9
Cross type focus points 25 -
Lens
Lens mount type Pentax KAF2 Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 156 143
Focal length multiplier 1.6 1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3.2 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,620k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.74x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 12.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow- speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/200 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 24p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM -
Max video resolution 3840x2160 None
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 820 grams (1.81 pounds) 895 grams (1.97 pounds)
Dimensions 135 x 104 x 74mm (5.3" x 4.1" x 2.9") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 79
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 1431
Other
Battery life 800 photographs 880 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI90 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported in slot 1) Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, UDMA Mode 5, Supports FAT12 / FAT16 / FAT32
Storage slots 2 2
Retail price $1,999 $2,736