Pentax K-3 vs Sony A99 II

The following is a thorough overview of the Pentax K-3 vs Sony A99 II, both Advanced DSLR cameras by brands Pentax and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the K-3 (24MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the K-3 (APS-C) and A99 II (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The K-3 was announced 3 years before the A99 II which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the K-3 scores against the A99 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax K-3 and Sony Alpha A99 II. The whole galleries are viewable at Pentax K-3 Gallery and Sony A99 II Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Pentax K-3 has 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) while the Sony A99 II has measurements of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") along with a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

Examine the Pentax K-3 vs Sony A99 II in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have at that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the K-3 vs the A99 II.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the K-3 and A99 II is 59 and 57 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to see the difference in sensor dimensions purely by looking through a spec sheet. The image here may give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the K-3 and A99 II.

Clearly, both the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The K-3 with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A99 II will render more detail with its extra 18 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a little more aggressively. The more aged K-3 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.