Pentax K-3 vs Pentax RS1500

Its time to look much closer at the Pentax K-3 versus Pentax RS1500, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are manufactured by Pentax. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the K-3 (24MP) and RS1500 (14MP) and the K-3 (APS-C) and RS1500 (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The K-3 was revealed 3 years after the RS1500 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a short introduction of how the K-3 grades vs the RS1500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax K-3 and Pentax Optio RS1500. The full galleries are available at Pentax K-3 Gallery and Pentax RS1500 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and size. The Pentax K-3 provides outer dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Pentax RS1500 has specifications of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Check the Pentax K-3 versus Pentax RS1500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the K-3 versus the RS1500.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the K-3 and RS1500 is 59 and 93 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes purely by looking through technical specs. The picture below will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the K-3 and RS1500.

As you can tell, both the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The K-3 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Pentax K-3 will result in more detail because of its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics far more aggressively. The more modern K-3 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.