Sigma SD9 has a
3.0MP APS-C (20.7 x 13.8 mm ) sized CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor . On the other hand, Pentax K-3 III Mono has a
26.0MP APS-C (23 x 15.5 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features PRIME V processor.
Pentax K-3 III Mono's sensor provides 23MP more than Sigma SD9's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Pentax K-3 III Mono and Sigma SD9 sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the SD9 and K-3 III Monochrome sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sigma SD9 and Pentax K-3 III Mono Cameras
As seen above, Pentax K-3 III Mono has a 1.2x Larger sensor area than Sigma SD9. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Sigma SD9
or the
Pentax K-3 III Mono ,
including hyperfocal distance.
