Nikon D80 has a 10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Pentax K-5 IIs has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Prime II processor.
Pentax K-5 IIs's sensor provides 6MP more than Nikon D80'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-5 IIs'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 D80 and K-5 IIs sensor size comparison.
![Nikon D80 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Pentax K-5 IIs Cameras
Nikon D80 and Pentax K-5 IIs 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. Nikon D80 and Pentax K-5 IIs sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that K-5 IIs has a better overall score of 82, 21 points higher compared to D80's score of 61.
| Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
|
Nikon D80 |
61 |
22.1 bits |
11.2 Evs |
524 ISO |
|
Pentax K-5 IIs |
82 |
23.9 bits |
14.1 Evs |
1208 ISO |