Pentax K-3 II has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Prime III processor. On the other hand, Canon 50D has a
15.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor.
Pentax K-3 II's sensor provides 9MP more than Canon 50D'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-3 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 moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the K-3 II and 50D sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Pentax K-3 II and Canon 50D Cameras
As seen above, Pentax K-3 II has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon 50D. 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.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Pentax K-3 II and Canon 50D 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-3 II has scored 80, 17 points higher than 50D.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Pentax K-3 II
80
23.6 bits
13.6 Evs
1106 ISO
Canon 50D
63
21.8 bits
11.4 Evs
696 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Pentax K-3 II
or the
Canon 50D ,
including hyperfocal distance.
