Pentax K-3 vs Sony A850

Let's look a bit more closely at the Pentax K-3 and Sony A850, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by brands Pentax and Sony. The image resolution of the K-3 (24MP) and the A850 (25MP) is relatively well matched but the K-3 (APS-C) and A850 (Full frame) come with different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The K-3 was announced 4 years later than the A850 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before we go straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the K-3 scores vs the A850 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax K-3 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The whole galleries are available at Pentax K-3 Gallery & Sony A850 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and proportions. The Pentax K-3 offers outer dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Sony A850 has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Contrast the Pentax K-3 and Sony A850 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the K-3 versus the A850.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the K-3 and A850 is 59 and 54 respectively.

Often, its hard to imagine the difference between sensor sizing purely by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph below may give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the K-3 and A850.

Clearly, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The K-3 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A850 will resolve more detail with its extra 1MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The fresher K-3 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.