Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II
56 Imaging
64 Features
70 Overall
66


59 Imaging
66 Features
84 Overall
73
Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs
(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- Superseded the Canon 5D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
(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

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.

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.

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon EOS 5D Mark II & Pentax K-3 II. The entire galleries are available at Canon 5D MII Gallery & Pentax K-3 II Gallery.
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 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | April 2015 | ![]() | February 2009 | More modern by 75 months |
Screen dimensions | 3.2" | ![]() | 3" | Bigger screen (+0.2") |
Screen resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 920k | Clearer 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 type | Fixed | ![]() | 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications
Canon EOS 5D Mark II | Pentax 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 |