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Pentax K-5 vs Sony A6500

Portability
60
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66
Pentax K-5 front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Pentax K-5 vs Sony A6500 Key Specs

Pentax K-5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 12800 (Expand to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 740g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Introduced December 2010
  • Replaced the Pentax K-7
  • Replacement is Pentax K-5 IIs
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Increase to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Announced October 2016
  • Earlier Model is Sony A6300
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Pentax K-5 vs Sony A6500 Overview

Let's look closer at the Pentax K-5 versus Sony A6500, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Pentax and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the K-5 (16MP) and A6500 (24MP) but they possess the exact same sensor sizes (APS-C).

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The K-5 was manufactured 6 years before the A6500 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a detailed comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the K-5 grades versus the A6500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 over the Sony A6500

 K-5 A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Pentax K-5

 A6500 K-5 
AnnouncedOctober 2016December 2010More recent by 70 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k921kSharper display (+1k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Pentax K-5 and Sony A6500

 K-5 A6500 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Pentax K-5 vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Pentax K-5 offers outside dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs) while the Sony A6500 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Contrast the Pentax K-5 versus Sony A6500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the K-5 vs the A6500.

Pentax K-5 vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the K-5 and A6500 is 60 and 81 respectively.

Pentax K-5 vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Pentax K-5 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be tough to picture the difference in sensor measurements just by going through specifications. The visual underneath should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the K-5 and A6500.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You can expect to see the Sony A6500 to produce extra detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics much more aggressively. The older K-5 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Pentax K-5 vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Pentax K-5 vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax K-5 vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax K-5 Portrait photography information
Sony A6500 Portrait photography information
73
you can focus manually
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
80
focusing manually
good resolution (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Pentax K-5
Street photography with Sony A6500
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
weather proofing
screen does not articulate
85
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
supports focus by touch
environment proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Pentax K-5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Sports photography camera
78
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
weather proofing
has phase detect auto focus
77
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
environment proofing
supports phase detect AF
terrible battery life (350 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Pentax K-5 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Travel photography camera
65
weather proofing
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
does not offer selfie friendly screen
74
environment proofing
connects via bluetooth
supports focus by touch
good resolution (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
does not have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax K-5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Landscape photography camera
78
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
weather proofing
79
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
terrible battery life (350 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax K-5 Vlogging advice
Sony A6500 Vlogging advice
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone support
does not offer selfie friendly screen
39
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
comes with external mic jack
does not have selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Pentax K-5 vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax K-5 and Sony A6500
 Pentax K-5Sony Alpha a6500
General Information
Brand Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax K-5 Sony Alpha a6500
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2010-12-18 2016-10-06
Body design Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Prime II Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.7 x 15.7mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 372.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4928 x 3264 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 12800 25600
Highest enhanced ISO 51200 51200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 425
Cross type focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount type Pentax KAF2 Sony E
Number of lenses 151 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 921 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology TFT LCD monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.61x 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 11.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 424 (25, 30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 740 gr (1.63 lb) 453 gr (1.00 lb)
Dimensions 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 82 85
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 24.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.1 13.7
DXO Low light rating 1162 1405
Other
Battery life 980 pictures 350 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI90 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $800 $1,298