Pentax K-5 IIs vs Pentax P80

In this article, we are comparing the Pentax K-5 IIs and Pentax P80, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are manufactured by Pentax. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the K-5 IIs (16MP) and P80 (12MP) and the K-5 IIs (APS-C) and P80 (1/2.3") come with different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The K-5 IIs was unveiled 3 years later than the P80 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax P80 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick overview of how the K-5 IIs matches up vs the P80 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax K-5 IIs & Pentax Optio P80. The full galleries are available at Pentax K-5 IIs Gallery & Pentax P80 Gallery.

In case you're looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and volume. The Pentax K-5 IIs enjoys outside dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs) and the Pentax P80 has sizing of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Examine the Pentax K-5 IIs and Pentax P80 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is the front view size comparison of the K-5 IIs compared to the P80.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the K-5 IIs and P80 is 60 and 95 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor measurements just by researching specs. The photograph below should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the K-5 IIs and P80.

All in all, both cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The K-5 IIs having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Pentax K-5 IIs will provide you with extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more recent K-5 IIs should have an advantage in sensor tech.