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Pentax K-1 Mark II vs Canon 80D

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Pentax K-1 II

36 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) CMOS Sensor

Pentax K-1 II
$1700.90

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Canon 80D

24 MP | APS-C (22.5 x 15 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon 80D
$899.00

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Pentax K-1 II vs Canon 80D Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing K-1 Mark II and 80D, two Semi-Pro DSLR cameras from Pentax and Canon. Pentax K-1 II was introduced to market in February 2018 and Canon 80D was launched in February 2016. As you can see, 80D is 2 years older than K-1 Mark II. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Pentax K-1 II has a 36.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Canon 80D has a 24.0MP APS-C sensor.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Pentax K-1 II and Canon 80D before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Pentax K-1 II Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2018-02-22
  • 36MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 819200
  • Pentax KAF4 Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 4.4 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • Built-in GPS
  • 1010g. 137 x 110 x 86 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Pentax K-1 Compare

Canon 80D Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-02-18
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 16000 ( expands to 25600)
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 7.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 730g. 139 x 105 x 79 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Canon EOS 70D Compare

Canon 80D was replaced by Canon EOS 90D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 90D vs Canon EOS 80D
Canon EOS 90D vs Pentax K-1 Mark II

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Pentax K-1 II and Canon 80D compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Pentax K-1 Mark II over Canon EOS 80D
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift vs None All the lenses are stabilized
Max Sensor Resolution 36 MP vs 24 MP 50% more pixels
Max ISO 819.200 vs 16.000 5020% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size 3.2" vs 3" 0.2 inches larger display
Sensor Pixel Area 23.83µm2 vs 14.06µm2 69% larger pixel area
Flash Sync Port Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
Pixel Shift High Resolution Mode Yes vs No Increased resolution with pixel shift
Anti Alias Filter Simulator Yes vs No Turn on Anti Alias filter effect to minimise Moire
Astrotracer Mode Yes vs No Great for Astrophotography
Storage Slot 2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
Reasons to choose Canon EOS 80D over Pentax K-1 Mark II
Built-in Flash Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Touch Screen Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Number of Focus Points 45 vs 33 12 more focus points
Number of Cross Type Focus Points 45 vs 25 20 more cross type focus points
Continuous Shooting 7.0fps vs 4.4fps 2.6 fps faster
Battery Life 960 shots vs 670 shots 290 more frames with a single charge
Weight 730 g vs 1010 g 280 g lighter
NFC Connection Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Autofocus at f/8 aperture Center point vs none Autofocus with teleconverters
Common Strengths of Pentax K-1 Mark II and Canon EOS 80D
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 36 MP vs 24 MP Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution 1.037k dots vs 1.040k dots Higher resolution screens
Microphone Port Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port Yes vs Yes better video control
Environmental Sealing Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording Yes vs Yes creative shooting
Top LCD Display Yes vs Yes Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Smartphone Remote Control Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Min Focus Sensitivity EV -3 vs EV -3 Autofocus in very low light
Support for UHS Memory Cards UHS-I vs UHS-I Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Common Weaknesses of Pentax K-1 Mark II and Canon EOS 80D
Pentax K-1 II vs Canon 80D: 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 Pentax K-1 II and Canon 80D side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Pentax K-1 II and Canon 80D. Canon 80D is 5mm shorter and 7mm thinner than Pentax K-1 II but it is also 2mm wider.

Pentax K-1 II vs Canon 80D Camera Size Comparison - Front View


Here is the back view size comparison of Pentax K-1 II and Canon 80D.

Pentax K-1 II vs Canon 80D Camera Size Comparison - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Pentax K-1 II and Canon 80D.
Pentax K-1 II vs Canon 80D Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Pentax K-1 II vs Canon 80D Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon 80D is significantly lighter (280g ) than the Pentax K-1 II 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 Pentax K-1 II has a Full frame sensor and Canon 80D has a smaller APS-C sensor, Canon 80D's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Pentax K-1 II lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

K-1 Mark II
80D
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

K-1 Mark II
80D
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both K-1 Mark II and 80D have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Pentax K-1 II's 3.2" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon 80D's 3" screen.

Pentax K-1 II vs Canon 80D: Sensor Comparison

Pentax K-1 II has a 36.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features PRIME IV processor. On the other hand, Canon 80D has a 24.0MP APS-C (22.5 x 15 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 6 processor.

Pentax K-1 II's sensor provides 12MP more than Canon 80D'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 difference between these two cameras is that Pentax K-1 II's sensor lacks 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 K-1 Mark II and 80D sensor size comparison.

Pentax K-1 II vs Canon 80D Sensor Size Comparison


As seen above, Pentax K-1 II has a 2.6x Larger sensor area than Canon 80D. 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 Pentax K-1 II and Canon 80D Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Pentax K-1 II and Canon 80D 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.

Pentax K-1 II for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon 80D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 36.0MP
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.5 x 15 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Pentax K-1 II for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon 80D for Street Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.5 x 15 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Pentax K-1 II for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon 80D for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Cross Type Focus sensors
33 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 670 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.4fps
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
45 Cross Type Focus sensors
45 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 960 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Pentax K-1 II for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon 80D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1010g
Body Thickness 86mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.5 x 15 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
730g
Body Thickness 79mm
Read the details

Pentax K-1 II for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Canon 80D for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 36.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.5 x 15 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details


Canon 80D vs Pentax K-1 II 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 Canon 80D has an advantage over Pentax K-1 II There are 319 lenses for Canon 80D's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 149 lenses for Pentax K-1 II's Pentax KAF4 lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Pentax K-1 II 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, Canon 80D doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 107 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Pentax K-1 II Lenses # of Canon 80D Lenses
Standard Zoom 22 40
Standard Prime 19 18
Wideangle Zoom 12 35
Wideangle Prime 24 48
Telephoto Zoom 20 58
Telephoto Prime 12 41
SuperZoom 15 28
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 3 7
Macro Prime 14 27
Perspective Control Prime 8 16
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1
TOTAL 149 319
Pentax K-1 II vs Canon 80D: 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 Pentax K-1 II and Canon 80D, 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 Pentax K-1 II and Canon 80D scores compare:

Pentax K-1 II
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #5 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #19 out of 1190 in all Cameras
Canon 80D
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #18 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #51 out of 1190 in all Cameras

Pentax K-1 II scores higher than the Canon 80D in Overall. It has better image quality and better value than Canon 80D. On the other hand, Canon 80D is more portable and has more features than Pentax K-1 II.
If image quality is very important for you and you want to get the most bang for your bucks, choose the Pentax K-1 II.
If you are looking for a small camera where you can take everywhere with you, and having more features are also important, Canon 80D is the right choice for you.

Pentax K-1 II
Pentax K-1 II
$1700.90

Canon 80D
Canon 80D
$899.00

Canon 80D vs Pentax K-1 II Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Pentax K-1 Mark II Canon EOS 80D
Brand Pentax Canon
Announced 2018-02-22 2016-02-18
Body Type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame APS-C
Dimensions 35.9 x 24 mm 22.5 x 15 mm
Area 861.60mm2 337.50mm2
Megapixels 36 megapixels 24 megapixels
Max Resolution 7360 x 4912 6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity 819,200 ISO 16,000 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 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 33 45
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Pentax KAF4 Canon EF/EF-S
Number of Available Lenses 149 319
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Size 3.2" 3"
Resolution 1,037k dots 1,040k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.7 0.6
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync 1/200s 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 4.4 fps 7.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 1010g 730g
Dimensions 137 x 110 x 86mm 139 x 105 x 79mm
Battery Life 670 shots 960 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Built-in None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 79
DxO Color Depth not tested 23.6
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 13.2
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1135
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