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Canon 5D MII vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
56
Imaging
65
Features
70
Overall
67
Canon EOS 5D Mark II front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Canon 5D MII
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Increase to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 850g - 152 x 114 x 75mm
  • Launched February 2009
  • Earlier Model is Canon 5D
  • Newer Model is Canon 5D MIII
Pentax ist DS2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 605g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Launched August 2005
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Canon 5D MII vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

Let's look much closer at the Canon 5D MII versus Pentax ist DS2, both Advanced DSLR cameras by competitors Canon and Pentax. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the 5D MII (21MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the 5D MII (Full frame) and ist DS2 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The 5D MII was introduced 3 years after the ist DS2 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief view of how the 5D MII scores versus the ist DS2 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Canon 5D MII over the Pentax ist DS2

 5D MII ist DS2 
LaunchedFebruary 2009August 2005Newer by 43 months
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution920k210kCrisper screen (+710k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Canon 5D MII

 ist DS2 5D MII 

Common features in the Canon 5D MII and Pentax ist DS2

 5D MII ist DS2 
Manually focus Very precise focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Canon 5D MII enjoys physical dimensions of 152mm x 114mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") with a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs) whilst the Pentax ist DS2 has proportions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Check the Canon 5D MII versus Pentax ist DS2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached during that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the 5D MII versus the ist DS2.

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the 5D MII and ist DS2 is 56 and 68 respectively.

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very hard to envision the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by checking out a spec sheet. The picture here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the 5D MII and ist DS2.

Clearly, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The 5D MII having a bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh easier and the Canon 5D MII will produce greater detail using its extra 15MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The younger 5D MII will have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 5D MII vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 5D MII Portrait photography info
Pentax ist DS2 Portrait photography info
79
manual focus
megapixel count good (21 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detect focus
saves RAW files
50
focusing manually
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
does not have liveview
sensor resolution low (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Canon 5D MII Street photography factors
Pentax ist DS2 Street photography factors
59
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment proof
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
60
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
lighter than others in class (605g)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon 5D MII Sports photography information
Pentax ist DS2 Sports photography information
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
megapixel count good (21 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
environment proof
sensor has phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
38
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
does not have liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (6MP)
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Travel Comparison

Canon 5D MII Travel photography info
Pentax ist DS2 Travel photography info
55
environment proof
megapixel count good (21 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
52
lighter than others in class (605 grams)
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (6MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 5D MII Landscape photography info
Pentax ist DS2 Landscape photography info
70
manual focus
switch lenses (Canon EF mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
megapixel count good (21MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment proof
no image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse recording
46
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
small screen (2.5")
does not have liveview
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (6 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Vlogging camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Vlogging camera
29
includes face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes mic jack
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
22
lighter than others in class (605 grams)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low res video ( pixels)
does not have microphone support
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Canon 5D MII vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D MII and Pentax ist DS2
 Canon EOS 5D Mark IIPentax ist DS2
General Information
Brand Canon Pentax
Model type Canon EOS 5D Mark II Pentax ist DS2
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Launched 2009-02-13 2005-08-22
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Digic 4 -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 21MP 6MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Full resolution 5616 x 3744 3008 x 2008
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Max boosted ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Lowest boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 11
Lens
Lens mount type Canon EF Pentax KAF
Available lenses 250 151
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of display 920 thousand dots 210 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech TFT liquid-crystal color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical
Viewfinder coverage 98% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 4.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash -
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/200s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 -
Video format H.264 -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 850g (1.87 pounds) 605g (1.33 pounds)
Dimensions 152 x 114 x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 79 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.9 not tested
DXO Low light rating 1815 not tested
Other
Battery life 850 photographs -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID LP-E6 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive SD/MMC card
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $1,190 -