What is the pixel pitch of the Pentax K-3 III?

The Pentax K-3 III provides 25.6 megapixels from an APS-C sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 3.76µm.

The pixel size or pixel pitch can be calculated by dividing the sensor area by the pixel count and then taking the square root. In particular, the sensor in the Pentax K-3 III measures 23.3mm in width and 15.5mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 361 mm². Moreover, the K-3 III has 6 192 horizontal pixels and 4 128 vertical pixels, for a total of 25.6 megapixels. Then, the size (height or width) of each individual pixel can be calculated as the square root of the ratio of the sensor area (361 mm²) to the MP count (25 560 576).

Larger pixels provide advantages with respect to gathering light, particularly in low-light situations. Large pixels notably have a better signal to noise ratio, meaning that they can better differentiate between incoming photons and the noisy signals that the internal processes of the camera create. As a result, big pixels are particularly helpful to the photographer when shooting with high ISO settings.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Pentax K-3 III to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better), covering color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape), and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Pentax K-3 III	APS-C	25.6	6192	4128	4K/30p	24.2	13.7	2083	85
2.		Fujifilm X-H1	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.0	13.3	1806	82
3.		Fujifilm X-T4	APS-C	26.0	6240	4160	4K/60p	24.1	13.6	1995	84
4.		Nikon Z6 II	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/60p	25.0	14.4	3303	94
5.		Panasonic S5	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/60p	25.1	14.5	2697	94
6.		Pentax K-3	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.7	13.4	1216	80
7.		Pentax K-3 II	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.6	13.6	1106	80
8.		Pentax K-5 II	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/25p	23.8	14.1	1235	82
9.		Pentax K-70	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	23.8	13.1	1639	80
10.		Pentax KP	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.9	13.2	1699	81
11.		Pentax K-S2	APS-C	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	23.6	12.9	1514	79
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Further information on the sensor in the Pentax K-3 III and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the K-3 III was initially launched in March 2021 at a price of $1,999.

Check K-3 III price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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