Canon 5D MII vs Pentax K-3 II
56 Imaging
64 Features
70 Overall
66
59 Imaging
65 Features
84 Overall
72
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- Superseded the Canon 5D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
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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.
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideThe 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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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
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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 |