Pentax K-3 vs Sony A550

Let's look more closely at the Pentax K-3 versus Sony A550, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Pentax and Sony. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the K-3 (24MP) and A550 (14MP) but both cameras boast the identical sensor sizing (APS-C).

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The K-3 was revealed 4 years after the A550 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the K-3 scores versus the A550 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax K-3 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The full galleries are viewable at Pentax K-3 Gallery and Sony A550 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Pentax K-3 features outside 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 Sony A550 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Pentax K-3 versus Sony A550 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the K-3 vs the A550.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the K-3 and A550 is 59 and 63 respectively.

More often than not, it is difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizes only by reading through specifications. The pic here should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the K-3 and A550.

To sum up, both of these cameras come with the identical sensor size but not the same megapixels. You should expect to see the Pentax K-3 to give greater detail because of its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The fresher K-3 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.