Both Pentax K-1 and Nikon D800 have 36.0 MP resolution sensors but Pentax K-1's sensor is Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) and Nikon D800's sensor is Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ).
Since Nikon D800's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Pentax K-1.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Pentax K-1'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 moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the K-1 and D800 sensor size comparison.
Pentax K-1 and Nikon D800 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Pentax K-1 and Nikon D800 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark 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. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, K-1 has scored 96, 1 points higher than D800.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Pentax K-1 |
96 |
25.4 bits |
14.6 Evs |
3280 ISO |
Nikon D800 |
95 |
25.3 bits |
14.4 Evs |
2853 ISO |