Pentax K-5 II Comparison Review

The Pentax K-5 II is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was officially introduced in September 2012 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 16.1 megapixel.

Is the Pentax K-5 II a good camera? The K-5 II has a Camera Elo of 1814. This rating puts the K-5 II among the top 40 percent of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the K-5 II ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Pentax K-5 II vis-à-vis a credit card. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Pentax K-5 II alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Pentax K-5 II	131 mm	97 mm	73 mm	760 g	740	Y	Sep 2012	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
2.		Nikon D7100	136 mm	107 mm	76 mm	765 g	950	Y	Feb 2013	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-M5	122 mm	89 mm	43 mm	425 g	360	Y	Feb 2012	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
4.		Pentax K-3	131 mm	100 mm	77 mm	800 g	560	Y	Oct 2013	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
5.		Pentax K-3 II	131 mm	100 mm	77 mm	800 g	720	Y	Apr 2015	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
6.		Pentax K-5	131 mm	97 mm	73 mm	760 g	740	Y	Sep 2010	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
7.		Pentax K-30	130 mm	97 mm	71 mm	650 g	410	Y	May 2012	US$ 849	ebay.com
8.		Pentax K-50	130 mm	97 mm	71 mm	650 g	410	Y	Jun 2013	US$ 599	ebay.com
9.		Pentax K-70	126 mm	93 mm	74 mm	688 g	410	Y	Jun 2016	US$ 649	ebay.com
10.		Pentax K-500	130 mm	97 mm	71 mm	646 g	710	n	Jun 2013	US$ 549	ebay.com
11.		Pentax KP	132 mm	101 mm	76 mm	703 g	390	Y	Jan 2017	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Pentax K-5 II was launched in the US market at a price of $1,099. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check K-5 II offers at
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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Pentax K-5 II features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Pentax K-5 II among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

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-5 II	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/25p	23.8	14.1	1235	82
2.		Nikon D7100	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.2	13.7	1256	83
3.		Olympus E-M5	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60i	22.8	12.3	826	71
4.		Pentax K-3	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.7	13.4	1216	80
5.		Pentax K-3 II	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.6	13.6	1106	80
6.		Pentax K-5	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/25p	23.7	14.1	1162	82
7.		Pentax K-30	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.7	13.0	1129	79
8.		Pentax K-50	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.7	13.0	1120	79
9.		Pentax K-70	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	23.8	13.1	1639	80
10.		Pentax K-500	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.7	13.1	1087	79
11.		Pentax KP	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.9	13.2	1699	81
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The K-5 II indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the K-5 II can use is 1080/25p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the K-5 II has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.61x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Pentax K-5 II along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Pentax K-5 II	optical	Y	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	7.0/s	Y	Y
2.		Nikon D7100	optical	Y	3.2 / 1229	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.0/s	Y	n
3.		Olympus E-M5	1440	n	3.0 / 610	tilting	Y	1/4000s	9.0/s	n	Y
4.		Pentax K-3	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.3/s	Y	Y
5.		Pentax K-3 II	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.3/s	n	Y
6.		Pentax K-5	optical	Y	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	7.0/s	Y	Y
7.		Pentax K-30	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/6000s	6.0/s	Y	Y
8.		Pentax K-50	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/6000s	6.0/s	Y	Y
9.		Pentax K-70	optical	n	3.0 / 921	swivel	n	1/6000s	6.0/s	Y	Y
10.		Pentax K-500	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/6000s	6.0/s	Y	Y
11.		Pentax KP	optical	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/6000s	7.0/s	Y	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One convenient feature of the K-5 II is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Pentax K-5 II and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Pentax K-5 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Nikon D7100	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Olympus E-M5	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Pentax K-3	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
5.		Pentax K-3 II	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
6.		Pentax K-5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Pentax K-30	Y	mono / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Pentax K-50	Y	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Pentax K-70	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
10.		Pentax K-500	Y	mono / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Pentax KP	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	-	2.0	Y	-	-

It is notable that the K-5 II has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the K-5 II can be found in the free online Pentax K-5 II Manual or on the Pentax support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the K-5 II in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Pentax K-5 II	5/5	..	..	80/100	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
2.		Nikon D7100	5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2013	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-M5	4/5	+ +	..	80/100	4.5/5	5/5	Feb 2012	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
4.		Pentax K-3	4/5	..	..	83/100	5/5	5/5	Oct 2013	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
5.		Pentax K-3 II	4.5/5	..	..	..	5/5	5/5	Apr 2015	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
6.		Pentax K-5	4/5	..	..	83/100	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2010	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
7.		Pentax K-30	4/5	..	..	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	May 2012	US$ 849	ebay.com
8.		Pentax K-50	5/5	..	..	..	5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2013	US$ 599	ebay.com
9.		Pentax K-70	4.5/5	..	4/5	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2016	US$ 649	ebay.com
10.		Pentax K-500	..	..	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2013	US$ 549	ebay.com
11.		Pentax KP	4/5	..	3/5	82/100	5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2017	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Check K-5 II offers at
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Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just make your choice using the following search menu. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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