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Nikon D850 vs Pentax K-S2

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Nikon D850

46 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon D850
$2796.95

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Pentax K-S2

20 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Pentax K-S2
$581.25

CHECK TODAY's PRICE
Nikon D850 vs Pentax K-S2 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two DSLR cameras from Nikon and Pentax. Nikon D850 was introduced to market in August 2017 and Pentax K-S2 was launched in February 2015. As you can see, K-S2 is 2 years older than D850. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Nikon D850 has a 46.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Pentax K-S2 has a 20.0MP APS-C sensor. This will be an interesting match up as even though these two cameras doesn't have the exact same body type, they are both ranked amongst Top 10 cameras in their classes. Nikon D850 is ranked #1 out of 91 Semi-Pro DSLR cameras with an overall score of 91 whereas Pentax K-S2 is ranked #1 out of 79 Entry-Level DSLR cameras with an overall score of 78.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Nikon D850 and Pentax K-S2 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D850 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-08-24
  • 46MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 64 - 25600 ( expands to 32-102400)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3.2 Tilting Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 7.0 fps continuous shooting (9 fps with optional battery grip. )
  • 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 1015g. 146 x 124 x 79 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Nikon D810 Compare

Pentax K-S2 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2015-02-10
  • 20MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 5.4 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 678g. 91 x 123 x 73 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Pentax K-S1 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon D850 and Pentax K-S2 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon D850 over Pentax K-S2
Touch Screen Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Max Sensor Resolution 46 MP vs 20 MP 129% more pixels
Number of Focus Points 153 vs 11 142 more focus points
LCD Screen Size 3.2 vs 3" 0.2 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution 2.359k dots vs 921k dots 156% higher resolution screen
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s vs 1/6000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting 7.0fps vs 5.4fps 1.6 fps faster
Battery Life 1840 shots vs 410 shots 1430 more frames with a single charge
Headphone Port Yes vs No better video control
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
Bluetooth Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Focus Bracketing Yes vs No Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Illuminated Buttons Yes vs No Find the buttons easily in dark
Storage Slot 2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
8K Timelapse mode Yes vs No Create 8K resolution timelapse videos
Autofocus at f/8 aperture 15 points vs none Autofocus with teleconverters
Support for UHS Memory Cards UHS-II vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Reasons to choose Pentax K-S2 over Nikon D850
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift vs None All the lenses are stabilized
Built-in Flash Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Max ISO 51.200 vs 25.600 100% higher Max ISO
Weight 678 g vs 1015 g 337 g lighter
Anti Alias Filter Simulator Yes vs No Turn on Anti Alias filter effect to minimise Moire
Common Strengths of Nikon D850 and Pentax K-S2
Wireless Connection Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Articulating Screen Yes vs Yes Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution 46 MP vs 20 MP Bigger prints and more details
Continuous Shooting 7.0fps vs 5.4fps Fast shooting speeds
Microphone Port Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording Yes vs Yes creative shooting
AE Bracketing Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune) Yes vs Yes Adjust each lens for accurate focusing
NFC Connection Yes vs Yes Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote Control Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Common Weaknesses of Nikon D850 and Pentax K-S2
Nikon D850 vs Pentax K-S2: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon D850 and Pentax K-S2 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D850 and Pentax K-S2. Pentax K-S2 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 23mm narrower, 33mm shorter and 6mm thinner than Nikon D850.

Nikon D850 vs Pentax K-S2 Camera Size Comparison - Front View


Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon D850 and Pentax K-S2.

Nikon D850 vs Pentax K-S2 Camera Size Comparison - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D850 and Pentax K-S2.
Nikon D850 vs Pentax K-S2 Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Nikon D850 vs Pentax K-S2 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Pentax K-S2 is significantly lighter (337g ) than the Nikon D850 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Nikon D850 has a Full frame sensor and Pentax K-S2 has a smaller APS-C sensor, Pentax K-S2's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Nikon D850 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D850
K-S2
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D850
K-S2
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both D850 and K-S2 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon D850's 3.2 LCD screen is slightly larger than Pentax K-S2's 3" screen.

Nikon D850 vs Pentax K-S2: Sensor Comparison

Nikon D850 has a 46.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor. On the other hand, Pentax K-S2 has a 20.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features PRIME MII processor.

Nikon D850's sensor provides 26MP more than Pentax K-S2'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.

Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Pentax K-S2 and Nikon D850 sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. 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 D850 and K-S2 sensor size comparison.

Nikon D850 vs Pentax K-S2 Sensor Size Comparison


As seen above, Nikon D850 has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Pentax K-S2. 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.

What types of Photography are Nikon D850 and Pentax K-S2 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D850 and Pentax K-S2 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon D850 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Pentax K-S2 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 46.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon D850 for Street Photography

GOOD

Pentax K-S2 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon D850 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Pentax K-S2 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
99 Cross Type Focus sensors
153 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 1840 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/6000s
11 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.4fps
Read the details

Nikon D850 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Pentax K-S2 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1015g
Body Thickness 79mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
678g
Body Thickness 73mm
Read the details

Nikon D850 for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Pentax K-S2 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 46.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details


Pentax K-S2 vs Nikon D850 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Nikon D850 has an advantage over Pentax K-S2. There are 304 lenses for Nikon D850's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 149 lenses for Pentax K-S2's Pentax KAF2 lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Pentax K-S2 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Nikon D850 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 101 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Nikon D850 Lenses # of Pentax K-S2 Lenses
Standard Zoom 33 22
Standard Prime 20 19
Wideangle Zoom 33 12
Wideangle Prime 47 24
Telephoto Zoom 53 20
Telephoto Prime 43 12
SuperZoom 30 15
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 8 3
Macro Prime 25 14
Perspective Control Prime 11 8
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 n/a
TOTAL 304 149
Nikon D850 vs Pentax K-S2: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon D850 and Pentax K-S2, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon D850 and Pentax K-S2 scores compare:

Nikon D850
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #2 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #9 out of 1190 in all Cameras
Pentax K-S2
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #1 out of 77 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #58 out of 1190 in all Cameras

Nikon D850 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Pentax K-S2 in all criteria except one: Portability. Pentax K-S2 is significantly smaller than Nikon D850. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Pentax K-S2. Otherwise, Nikon D850 is the better camera overall.

Nikon D850
Nikon D850
$2796.95

Pentax K-S2
Pentax K-S2
$581.25

Pentax K-S2 vs Nikon D850 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon D850 Pentax K-S2
Brand Nikon Pentax
Announced 2017-08-24 2015-02-10
Body Type Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame APS-C
Dimensions 35.9 x 23.9 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 858.01mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 46 megapixels 20 megapixels
Max Resolution 8256 x 5504 5472 x 3648
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 51,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 102400 ISO -
Min Native Light sensitivity 64 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 32 ISO -
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 153 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon F Pentax KAF2
Number of Available Lenses 304 149
Screen
Type Tilting Fully Articulated
Size 3.2 3"
Resolution 2,359k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.75 0.64
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000s 1/6000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync 1/250s n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 7.0 fps 5.4 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 1015g 678g
Dimensions 146 x 124 x 79mm 91 x 123 x 73mm
Battery Life 1840 shots 410 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 100 not tested
DxO Color Depth 26.4 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 14.8 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 2660 not tested
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