Clicky

Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
64
Imaging
44
Features
39
Overall
42
Nikon D50 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
57
Features
82
Overall
67

Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Nikon D50
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 620g - 133 x 102 x 76mm
  • Announced July 2005
  • Later Model is Nikon D40X
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Revealed June 2013
  • Superseded the Pentax K-5
Photography Glossary

Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

Here is a in-depth analysis of the Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II, both Advanced DSLR cameras by manufacturers Nikon and Pentax. There is a substantial difference among the image resolutions of the D50 (6MP) and K-5 II (16MP) but they feature the same exact sensor dimensions (APS-C).

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The D50 was launched 8 years earlier than the K-5 II and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the D50 matches up vs the K-5 II in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes
	
	

Reasons to pick Nikon D50 over the Pentax K-5 II

 D50 K-5 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Nikon D50

 K-5 II D50 
RevealedJune 2013July 2005Fresher by 95 months
Display sizing3"2"Larger display (+1")
Display resolution921k130kCrisper display (+791k dot)

Common features in the Nikon D50 and Pentax K-5 II

 D50 K-5 II 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Nikon D50 enjoys physical dimensions of 133mm x 102mm x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0") along with a weight of 620 grams (1.37 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 II has sizing of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

See the Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the D50 versus the K-5 II.

Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the D50 and K-5 II is 64 and 60 respectively.

Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II top view buttons comparison

Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

Often, it's hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizing just by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph here might offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the D50 and K-5 II.

As you can see, both of the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but not the same megapixels. You can anticipate the Pentax K-5 II to provide you with greater detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos far more aggressively. The older D50 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II sensor size comparison

Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D50 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax K-5 II Portrait photography highlights
53
manual focus
above average flash sync (1/500s)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
low resolution (6MP)
74
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon D50
Street photography with Pentax K-5 II
58
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
lighter than average in class (620 grams)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
weather proof
no moving screen
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Sports Comparison

Nikon D50 Sports photography information
Pentax K-5 II Sports photography information
38
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
no liveview feature
max fps low (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (6 megapixels)
78
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports tracking focus
weather proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Nikon D50 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-5 II Travel photography highlights
50
lighter than average in class (620 grams)
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
low resolution (6MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
65
weather proof
resolution is good (16MP)
built-in flash
display isn't selfie friendly
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Landscape Comparison

Nikon D50 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax K-5 II Landscape photography highlights
46
manual focus
switch lenses (Nikon F mount)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
screen is small (2")
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (6 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse recording
78
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
weather proof
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D50 Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-5 II Vlogging highlights
9
no video
33
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have mic support
display isn't selfie friendly
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Nikon D50 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D50 and Pentax K-5 II
 Nikon D50Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Brand Nikon Pentax
Model Nikon D50 Pentax K-5 II
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Announced 2005-07-23 2013-06-04
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Prime II
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.7 x 15.5mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 367.4mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 6MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Maximum resolution 3008 x 2000 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Nikon F Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 309 151
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2" 3"
Resolution of display 130k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.5x 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 11.00 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Front curtain, Rear curtain, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/500s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 620 grams (1.37 lbs) 760 grams (1.68 lbs)
Dimensions 133 x 102 x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 82
DXO Color Depth score 20.9 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.8 14.1
DXO Low light score 560 1235
Other
Battery life - 980 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model EN-EL3 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 to 20 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $499 $830