Pentax K-5 vs Sony RX100 V

Here is a thorough assessment of the Pentax K-5 and Sony RX100 V, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Pentax and Sony. The image resolution of the K-5 (16MP) and the RX100 V (20MP) is fairly well matched but the K-5 (APS-C) and RX100 V (1") come with totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The K-5 was unveiled 6 years before the RX100 V and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 V being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a full comparison, below is a short introduction of how the K-5 matches up against the RX100 V in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax K-5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V. The full galleries are viewable at Pentax K-5 Gallery and Sony RX100 V Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Pentax K-5 offers outer measurements 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 RX100 V has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Look at the Pentax K-5 and Sony RX100 V in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the K-5 versus the RX100 V.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the K-5 and RX100 V is 60 and 89 respectively.

Usually, its hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing just by checking technical specs. The visual below may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the K-5 and RX100 V.

As you can tell, the two cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The K-5 with its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX100 V will give you extra detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a little more aggressively. The older K-5 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.