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Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
56
Imaging
65
Features
70
Overall
67
Canon EOS 5D Mark II front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
67
Features
84
Overall
73

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Canon 5D MII
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Bump to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 850g - 152 x 114 x 75mm
  • Launched February 2009
  • Superseded the Canon 5D
  • Successor is Canon 5D MIII
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Old Model is Pentax K-3
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Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

On this page, we will be analyzing the Canon 5D MII and Pentax K-3 II, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by companies Canon and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the 5D MII (21MP) and the K-3 II (24MP) is relatively well matched but the 5D MII (Full frame) and K-3 II (APS-C) posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The 5D MII was manufactured 7 years prior to the K-3 II which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short introduction of how the 5D MII scores versus the K-3 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon 5D MII over the Pentax K-3 II

 5D MII K-3 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Canon 5D MII

 K-3 II 5D MII 
RevealedApril 2015February 2009More modern by 75 months
Screen dimensions3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k920kClearer screen (+117k dot)

Common features in the Canon 5D MII and Pentax K-3 II

 5D MII K-3 II 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Neither features Touch screen

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry around your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Canon 5D MII enjoys exterior dimensions of 152mm x 114mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") having a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 II has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Look at the Canon 5D MII and Pentax K-3 II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at that time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the 5D MII and the K-3 II.

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the 5D MII and K-3 II is 56 and 59 respectively.

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizes simply by looking at specifications. The pic underneath will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the 5D MII and K-3 II.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The 5D MII because of its bigger sensor will make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Pentax K-3 II will resolve more detail due to its extra 3MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged 5D MII is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 5D MII Portrait photography advice
Pentax K-3 II Portrait photography advice
79
manual focus
decent megapixels (21MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
comes with face detection focusing
supports RAW files
80
has manual focus
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon 5D MII
Street photography with Pentax K-3 II
59
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports RAW files
environment proofing
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
great ISO range (51,200)
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Canon 5D MII Sports photography advice
Pentax K-3 II Sports photography advice
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
decent megapixels (21MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
slow frames per second (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
77
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
weather sealing
has phase detect auto focus
not so great battery life (720 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon 5D MII
Travel photography with Pentax K-3 II
55
environment proofing
decent megapixels (21 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
57
weather sealing
good MP (24MP)
not so great battery life (720 shots)
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 5D MII Landscape photography details
Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography details
70
manual focus
change lenses (Canon EF mount)
screen size is decent (3")
decent megapixels (21 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports RAW files
environment proofing
lack of image stabilization
missing Time Lapse mode
78
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3.2 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
doesnt have low pass filter
great ISO range (51,200)
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
2 card slots
not so great battery life (720 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 5D MII Vlogging details
Pentax K-3 II Vlogging details
29
comes with face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external mic socket
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has microphone support
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D MII and Pentax K-3 II
 Canon EOS 5D Mark IIPentax K-3 II
General Information
Make Canon Pentax
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II Pentax K-3 II
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Launched 2009-02-13 2015-04-23
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Digic 4 Prime III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 21 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Peak resolution 5616 x 3744 6016 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 51200
Highest enhanced ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 9 27
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount Canon EF Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 250 151
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3.2 inches
Resolution of display 920k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech TFT liquid-crystal color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.64x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames/s 8.3 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync (available with dedicated external flash)
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/200s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 850 grams (1.87 pounds) 800 grams (1.76 pounds)
Physical dimensions 152 x 114 x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 79 80
DXO Color Depth score 23.7 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score 11.9 13.6
DXO Low light score 1815 1106
Other
Battery life 850 pictures 720 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LP-E6 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 2
Cost at release $1,190 $829