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Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Portability
96
Imaging
34
Features
33
Overall
33
Canon ELPH 520 HS front
 
Pentax K-5 IIs front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
83
Overall
68

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Pentax K-5 IIs Key Specs

Canon ELPH 520 HS
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-336mm (F3.4-5.6) lens
  • 155g - 87 x 54 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2012
  • Alternative Name is IXUS 500 HS
Pentax K-5 IIs
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Revealed June 2013
  • Previous Model is Pentax K-5
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Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Pentax K-5 IIs Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Canon ELPH 520 HS and Pentax K-5 IIs, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Canon and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the ELPH 520 HS (10MP) and K-5 IIs (16MP) and the ELPH 520 HS (1/2.3") and K-5 IIs (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

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The ELPH 520 HS was revealed 17 months prior to the K-5 IIs which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Canon ELPH 520 HS being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go in to a in depth comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the ELPH 520 HS scores versus the K-5 IIs when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Canon ELPH 520 HS over the Pentax K-5 IIs

 ELPH 520 HS K-5 IIs 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 IIs over the Canon ELPH 520 HS

 K-5 IIs ELPH 520 HS 
RevealedJune 2013January 2012Newer by 17 months
Focus manually Very precise focus
Screen resolution921k461kCrisper screen (+460k dot)

Common features in the Canon ELPH 520 HS and Pentax K-5 IIs

 ELPH 520 HS K-5 IIs 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Pentax K-5 IIs Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Canon ELPH 520 HS comes with physical measurements of 87mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.4" x 2.1" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 IIs has sizing of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Compare the Canon ELPH 520 HS and Pentax K-5 IIs in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the ELPH 520 HS and the K-5 IIs.

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Pentax K-5 IIs size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ELPH 520 HS and K-5 IIs is 96 and 60 respectively.

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Pentax K-5 IIs top view buttons comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Pentax K-5 IIs Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very tough to envision the difference in sensor dimensions only by checking out specifications. The image underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the ELPH 520 HS and K-5 IIs.

To sum up, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ELPH 520 HS having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-5 IIs will show extra detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged ELPH 520 HS will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Pentax K-5 IIs sensor size comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Pentax K-5 IIs Screen and ViewFinder

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Pentax K-5 IIs Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS Portrait photography factors
Pentax K-5 IIs Portrait photography factors
26
includes face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
external flash not possible
resolution not great (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
74
focusing manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon ELPH 520 HS
Street photography with Pentax K-5 IIs
55
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
more heavy than others (155 grams)
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-5 IIs as a Sports photography camera
29
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (190 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
79
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-5 IIs as a Travel photography camera
58
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
very long zoom (336mm)
missing Timelapse mode
terrible battery power (190 CIPA)
more heavy than others (155g)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
65
environment proofing
decent MP (16MP)
flash built-in
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS Landscape photography highlights
Pentax K-5 IIs Landscape photography highlights
35
quite wide (28mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
no manual mode
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
terrible battery power (190 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
79
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
does not have anti-alias filter
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon ELPH 520 HS
Vlogging with Pentax K-5 IIs
32
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing microphone port
more heavy than others (155 grams)
33
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external microphone jack
screen is not selfie friendly
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Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Pentax K-5 IIs Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon ELPH 520 HS and Pentax K-5 IIs
 Canon ELPH 520 HSPentax K-5 IIs
General Information
Make Canon Pentax
Model type Canon ELPH 520 HS Pentax K-5 IIs
Also called as IXUS 500 HS -
Class Ultracompact Advanced DSLR
Announced 2012-01-09 2013-06-04
Body design Ultracompact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip DIGIC 5 Prime II
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Maximum enhanced ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Minimum enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 9 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 28-336mm (12.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.4-5.6 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 461 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech PureColor II G TFT LCD TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Min shutter speed 15s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 2.50 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 120 fps), 320 x 240 (240 fps) 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 155 gr (0.34 lb) 760 gr (1.68 lb)
Dimensions 87 x 54 x 19mm (3.4" x 2.1" x 0.7") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 82
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 1208
Other
Battery life 190 photographs 980 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NB-9L D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage media microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $279 $749