Leica S2 Vs Pentax K-3 Mark III: full comparison

Leica S2 medal portrait medal landscape

Pentax K-3 Mark III trophy medal sport medal street medal everyday
50

Overall Score

64

Leica

S2

Announced: 23 Sep 2008
Sensor Resolution: 38Mp
Sensor Type: Medium format CCD
ISO: 80-1250
Weight: 1410g
Physical Dimensions: 160 x 120 x 81 mm
Viewfinder: Optical (pentaprism)
Screen Type: 3" Fixed
Video Resolutions: -
86
Image Quality
48
27
Speed Performance
61
25
Versatility
98
29
Comfort
63

Pentax

K-3 Mark III

Announced: 31 Mar 2021
Sensor Resolution: 26Mp
Sensor Type: APS-C CMOS
ISO: 100-1600000
Weight: 820g
Physical Dimensions: 135 x 104 x 74 mm
Viewfinder: Optical (pentaprism)
Screen Type: 3.2" Fixed
Video Resolutions: 3840x2160
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The best camera for different types of photography

Leica
S2

vs

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

73
Portrait Portrait Portrait
53
75
Landscape Landscape Landscape
51
46
SportSport Sport
66
37
Street Street Street
68
35
Everyday Everyday Everyday
71

Best alternative for types of photography

Leica S2
pros and cons

Leica S2

Leica

S2

Announced: 23 Sep 2008
Sensor Resolution: 38Mp
Sensor Type: Medium format CCD
ISO: 80-1250
Weight: 1410g
Physical Dimensions: 160 x 120 x 81 mm
Viewfinder: Optical (pentaprism)
Screen Type: 3" Fixed
Video Resolutions: -

prospros

  • It has fast shutter speed, ideal for action photos

conscons

  • Warning - Leica S2 is not a tropicalized camera. If you use it in adverse conditions, you could ruin it.
  • Like it or not, we are too used to LCD display to do without it
  • Leica S2 is one of the heaviest cameras in its category. This makes it less suitable for street photography and daily use, but it could be a plus since it gives it more stability if you shoot regularly with the tripod.
  • Unfortunately, Leica S2 does not support wireless connection

Leica S2 and its rivals

Review compare Leica S2 with overall score Portrait
Portrait
Landscape
Landscape
Sport
Sport
Street
Street
Everyday
Everyday
LeicaS2 Leica
S2
50 73 75 46 37 35 buy on
NikonD780 Nikon
D780
71 69 69 67 74 77 buy on
CanonEOS 90D Canon
EOS 90D
65 54 52 66 70 75 buy on
PentaxK-3 Mark III Pentax
K-3 Mark III
64 53 51 66 68 71 buy on
CanonEOS Rebel T8i Canon
EOS Rebel T8i
59 51 49 57 66 69 buy on
PentaxKF Pentax
KF
58 51 50 55 63 67 buy on

Pentax K-3 Mark III
pros and cons

Pentax K-3 Mark III

Pentax

K-3 Mark III

Announced: 31 Mar 2021
Sensor Resolution: 26Mp
Sensor Type: APS-C CMOS
ISO: 100-1600000
Weight: 820g
Physical Dimensions: 135 x 104 x 74 mm
Viewfinder: Optical (pentaprism)
Screen Type: 3.2" Fixed
Video Resolutions: 3840x2160

pros pros

  • This camera autofocus is able to follow moving subjects
  • The Pentax K-3 Mark III is tropicalized - this means you can use it also in adverse atmospheric and environmental conditions without ruining it
  • The integrated stabilizer allows you to shoot firmly even in low light conditions
  • The LCD display is a convenient and almost indispensable feature
  • The microphone input can be very useful if you shoot videos
  • Thanks to burst mode, it's ideal for action photos
  • The second memory slot makes the camera more reliable, also for professional use
  • Thanks to the wireless connection, Pentax K-3 Mark III allows immediate picture sharing

Pentax K-3 Mark III and its rivals

Review compare Pentax K-3 Mark III with overall score Portrait
Portrait
Landscape
Landscape
Sport
Sport
Street
Street
Everyday
Everyday
PentaxK-3 Mark III Pentax
K-3 Mark III
64 53 51 66 68 71 buy on
NikonD780 Nikon
D780
71 69 69 67 74 77 buy on
CanonEOS 90D Canon
EOS 90D
65 54 52 66 70 75 buy on
CanonEOS Rebel T8i Canon
EOS Rebel T8i
59 51 49 57 66 69 buy on
PentaxKF Pentax
KF
58 51 50 55 63 67 buy on

Leica S2 vs Pentax K-3 Mark III, which is better?

In case you are wondering which of these cameras you should buy, then this is the right place to find an answer. Here you will find listed all the main differences among Leica S2 and Pentax K-3 Mark III, calculated by the CameraRace iCamRank algorithm.

  • Technically speaking, Pentax K-3 Mark III is superior to Leica S2, with an overall iCamRank score of 64 and 50, respectively.
  • The image quality of Leica S2 (86) is superior to that of Pentax K-3 Mark III (48).
  • Pentax K-3 Mark III (61) performs better than Leica S2 (27) in terms of speed.
  • Pentax K-3 Mark III is more versatile than Leica S2 (98 a 25).
  • The handling of Pentax K-3 Mark III (63) is more effective than that of Leica S2 (29).

But, as you may know, the technical performance is meaningless if applied to the wrong context. This is the reason why the iCamRank "weights" differently the camera technical features for each type of photography. Thus, below you'll find our suggestions, based on your preferred photography genre:

Leica S2 is better for portrait or landscape photography; Pentax K-3 Mark III is instead your choice if you shoot sport or street photography or for everyday use.

Need further details? Below you will find a full comparison of all the technical specifications.

Leica
S2

Sensor
comparison

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

CCD

Sensor Type

CMOS

Medium format up

Sensor Size

down APS-C

45.0 x 30.0 mm up

Sensor Dimensions

down 23.0 x 15.5 mm

1350.0 mm2 up

Sensor Area

down 356.5 mm2

38 Mp up

Sensor Resolution

down 26 Mp

7500 x 5000 up

Max Image Resolution

down 6192 x 4128

1250 down

Max Native ISO

up 1600000

80 up

Min Native ISO

down 100

yes

RAW Support

yes

Leica
S2

Lens
comparison

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

fixed lens

Lens Mount

Pentax KAF2

yes

Manual Focus

yes

Lens Focal Range

-

-

Max Aperture

-

-

Macro Focus Range

-

-

Number of Lenses

up 155

-

Focal Length Multiplier

1.5

Leica
S2

Screen Type
comparison

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

Fixed

Screen Type

Fixed

3.0"

Screen Size

3.2"

460Kdot down

Screen Resolution

up 1620Kdot

no

Live View

yes

no

Touch Screen

yes

Leica
S2

Viewfinder
comparison

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

Optical (pentaprism)

Viewfinder

Optical (pentaprism)

None

Viewfinder Resolution

None

96

Viewfinder Coverage

100

0.86

Viewfinder Magnification

0.7x

Leica
S2

Features
comparison

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

32s

Min Shutter Speed

30s

1/4000s

Max Shutter Speed

-

2fps down

Continuous Shooting

up 12fps

yes

Shutter Priority

yes

yes

Aperture Priority

yes

yes

Manual Exposure Mode

yes

yes

Exposure Compensation

yes

no

Custom White Balance

yes

no

Image Stabilization

yes

no

Built-in Flash

no

None

Flash Range

None

-

Max Flash Sync

1/200s

no built-in flash

Flash Modes

Auto
Auto + Red-eye Reduction
Flash On
Flash On + Red-eye Reduction
Slow- speed Sync
Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye
P-TTL
Contrast-control-sync
High-speed sync
Wireless sync

yes

External Flash

yes

no

AE Bracketing

yes

no

WB Bracketing

yes

Leica
S2

Exposure Modes
comparison

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

yes

Multi-Segment

yes

no

Average

yes

yes

Spot

yes

no

Partial

no

no

AF-Area

no

yes

Center Weighted

no

Leica
S2

Dxo Sensor Scores
comparison

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

76 up

DxO Overall Score

dato non disponibile

23.9 up

DxO Color Depth

dato non disponibile

12.2 up

DxO Dynamic Range

dato non disponibile

824 up

DxO Low Light ISO

dato non disponibile

Leica
S2

Autofocus
comparison

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

no

AF Touch

yes

yes

AF Continuous

yes

yes

AF Single

yes

no

AF Tracking

yes

no

AF Selective

yes

no

AF Center

yes

no

AF MultiArea

yes

no

AF Live View

yes

no

AF Face Detection

yes

no

AF Contrast Detection

yes

yes

AF Phase Detection

yes

0 down

Number of Focus Points

up 101

0 down

Number of Cross Focus Points

up 25

Leica
S2

Video Features
comparison

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

Video Resolutions

3840 x 2160 @ 30p MOV H.264 Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p MOV H.264 Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p MOV H.264 Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p MOV H.264 Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 24p MOV H.264 Linear PCM

-

Max Video Resolution

3840x2160

Video Formats

MPEG-4 H.264

no

Microphone Port

yes

no

Headphone Port

yes

Leica
S2

Connectivity
comparison

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

None

Wireless Connectivity

Built-in

yes

HDMI

yes

USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)

USB

USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)

Leica
S2

Physical
comparison

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

no

Environmental Sealing

yes

no

Water Proof

no

no

Dust Proof

no

no

Shock Proof

no

no

Crush Proof

no

no

Freeze Proof

no

1410g

Weight

820g

160 x 120 x 81 mm

Physical Dimensions

135 x 104 x 74 mm

1000 up

Battery Life

down 800

Battery Pack

Battery Type

Battery Pack

Battery Model

D-LI90

Leica
S2

Other Features
comparison

Pentax
K-3 Mark III

n/a

Self Timer

Yes

no

Timelapse Recording

yes

no

GPS

no

Storage Type

Dual SD SDHC SDXC slots (UHS-II supported in slot 1)

1down

Storage Slots

up2

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