Canon 550D has a 18.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor. On the other hand, Pentax K-500 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features PRIME M processor.
Below you can see the 550D and K-500 sensor size comparison.
![Canon 550D vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 550D and Pentax K-500 Cameras
As seen above, Pentax K-500 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon 550D. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Canon 550D and Pentax K-500 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that K-500 has a better overall score of 79, 13 points higher compared to 550D's score of 66.
| Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
|
Canon 550D |
66 |
22.0 bits |
11.6 Evs |
807 ISO |
|
Pentax K-500 |
79 |
23.7 bits |
13.1 Evs |
1087 ISO |