Canon 5DS has a 51.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Dual DIGIC 6 processor. On the other hand, Pentax K-1 has a 36.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Canon 5DS's sensor provides 15MP more than Pentax K-1's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Pentax K-1's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the 5DS and K-1 sensor size comparison.
![Canon 5DS vs Pentax K-1 Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 5DS and Pentax K-1 Cameras
Canon 5DS and Pentax K-1 have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with 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 5DS and Pentax K-1 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that K-1 has a better overall score of 96, 9 points higher compared to 5DS's score of 87.
| Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
|
Canon 5DS |
87 |
24.7 bits |
12.4 Evs |
2381 ISO |
|
Pentax K-1 |
96 |
25.4 bits |
14.6 Evs |
3280 ISO |