Reasons to choose K-3
Released in 2013, K-3 has about 367 mm² of sensor area, 24.35 MP effective resolution, and a 800 g body. Use these values to narrow the field, not as an overall image-quality score.
Side-by-side comparison
Pentax K-3
vs Pentax K-500
VS
Sensor area
367 mm²
K-3372 mm²
K-500- Area ratio
- 1.01:1
- Absolute difference
- 5 mm²
- Relative difference
- 1.5%
The K-500 has the larger sensor area. More area usually means greater light-gathering potential, though real image quality still depends on sensor architecture and generation.
Key specification differences
K-3MetricK-500
24.35 MPEffective pixels16.3 MP
23.5 × 15.6Sensor23.7 × 15.7
3.88 µmPixel pitch4.78 µm
15.06 µm²Pixel area22.83 µm²
6.64 MP/cm²Pixel density4.38 MP/cm²
1.53Crop factor1.52
—Maximum video—
800 gWeight650 g
Dual SD/SDHC/SDXCStorageSD/SDHC/SDXC
Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery D-LI90 Li-ion batteryBattery4 x AA batteries (optional Li-Ion D-LI109) Li-ion battery
Amber marks the value that is generally preferable in this comparison context. It is not an overall camera score.
How to choose between these cameras
The K-500 has the larger sensor area. The K-500 has the lighter body. The K-3 has the higher effective resolution. The K-3 and K-500 were both released in 2013. Also consider the lens system and subjects you shoot.
Reasons to choose K-500
Released in 2013, K-500 has about 372 mm² of sensor area, 16.3 MP effective resolution, and a 650 g body. Use these values to narrow the field, not as an overall image-quality score.