Pentax K-1 has a
36.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Sony A9 II has a
24.0MP Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm ) sized Stacked BSI-CMOS sensor and features BIONZ X processor.
Pentax K-1's sensor provides 12MP more than Sony A9 II'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'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 A9 Mark II sensor size comparison.
Pentax K-1 and Sony A9 II have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Pentax K-1 and Sony A9 II 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, 3 points higher than A9 Mark II.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Pentax K-1 |
96 |
25.4 bits |
14.6 Evs |
3280 ISO |
Sony A9 II |
93 |
25.0 bits |
14.0 Evs |
3434 ISO |