dpreview K5 vs Canon 5D Mark III

dr_romix · 10-30-2012, 07:47 AM

Hey all,

I was thinking of purchasing a FF camera since Pentax hasn't listened to some of us needs yet. I'm linear towards Canon 5D as one of my professional photographers uses all the time and very pleased with it. As I looked around, I noticed a new version Mark III. When I compared the features to my current K-5 on dpreview, I didn't notice that much difference and to some extent, K-5 still outperforms..

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Review: Digital Photography Review

scroll down to the button of the page, turn on Compare button and add K-5 from the list and see the comparison. Pentax got score of 83 vs Canon 84..

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Derek

Last edited by dr_romix; 10-30-2012 at 08:13 AM.

kenafein · 10-30-2012, 08:26 AM

Sony(Nikon and Pentax) simply has better sensors than Canon at the moment. Canon's sensor tech development seems to have stagnated. The 5D Mark 3 isn't really much better than the 5D Mark 2 in terms of image quality. The advantages of full frame aren't IQ alone, however, and with equivalent lenses there shouldn't be any real difference in quality. Ask yourself why do you really want full frame? It may or may not be useful to you.

sb in ak · 10-30-2012, 08:40 AM

A word on DP Reviews: they represent a moment in time. The K5 review is probably from 2010 or 11 whereas the 5DIII is from earlier this year.

What kind of stuff do you shoot? You would see some things improved (larger viewfinder, more resolution, better AF) but the K5 sports a better (although smaller) image sensor, which will give you more ability to lift shadows, etc. The K5 is also more compact, has better WR, and has better ergonomics, IMO.

Depends on what you need it for, really.

dr_romix · 10-30-2012, 09:20 AM

Resolution is something I'm definitely looking for especially to blow out large prints and pixel peeping. What I can't convince myself is whether that price differences with K-5 could fill the gap.

I never liked the grip of any Canon camera. Pentax just feels perfect. Many times, I took pictures holding the camera with only one hand. Ergonomics is simply unbeatable...

kenafein · 10-30-2012, 09:24 AM

Originally posted by dr_romix

Resolution is something I'm definitely looking for especially to blow out large prints and pixel peeping. What I can't convince myself is whether that price differences with K-5 could fill the gap.

I never liked the grip of any Canon camera. Pentax just feels perfect. Many times, I took pictures holding the camera with only one hand. Ergonomics is simply unbeatable...

Then get the D800e. It has the highest resolution of the full frames. It would help on giant prints or with pixel peeping. Nikon ergonomics are closer to Pentax than Canon's are.

SpartanWarrior · 10-30-2012, 09:39 AM

Sorry guys crop cameras just can't cut it compared to FF, I have K5 5D II and 5D III, here are a couple tests with the K5 and 5D II

1, 5D II EF 24-105, f4, 1/200, ISO 12800

2, K5 DA 16-50. f4 1/200, ISO 12800

Tripod was used and focus was in the same spot, and 5D III is even better than 5D II.
Forgot to add both shot in RAW and converted to jpeg.

**Rondec** · 10-30-2012, 10:02 AM

Originally posted by SpartanWarrior

Sorry guys crop cameras just can't cut it compared to FF, I have K5 5D II and 5D III, here are a couple tests with the K5 and 5D II

1, 5D II EF 24-105, f4, 1/200, ISO 12800

2, K5 DA 16-50. f4 1/200, ISO 12800

Tripod was used and focus was in the same spot, and 5D III is even better than 5D II.
Forgot to add both shot in RAW and converted to jpeg.

Neither one looks acceptable to me. I think all in all, full frame cameras have roughly 1 stop on APS-C cameras in high iso. Still, at low iso, the K5 outdoes the 5D III.

Medium FormatPro · 10-30-2012, 10:29 AM

If there has ever been any one model line (in general) from Canon that I would not recommend - it would be any version of the Canon 5d. I'd rate most any Pentax camera over any version of the 5d, especialy for shutter life, and the ability for the camera to actually function fully. There have been many, many cases where the mirror simply does not hold up to professional use, even semi-professional use. The so called weather seals also leave much to be desired.

I'd recommend any other camera that is full frame over and of the 5d models; especially the flagship Canon full frame, or any Sony model, or especially Nikon - given the recent price points of the recently released Nikon's

Thesorus · 10-30-2012, 11:27 AM

Don't forget, the rating are valid only within the camera classes.

In this case, the K5 and 5D are in 2 different camera classes.

RonHendriks1966 · 10-30-2012, 12:22 PM

Well a 5D Mark III is better then a K-5. Only thing is that when your search is for hi-iso at iso 12.800 and up you better invest in some light (and Nikon).

sb in ak · 10-30-2012, 02:21 PM

Originally posted by dr_romix

Resolution is something I'm definitely looking for especially to blow out large prints and pixel peeping. What I can't convince myself is whether that price differences with K-5 could fill the gap.

I never liked the grip of any Canon camera. Pentax just feels perfect. Many times, I took pictures holding the camera with only one hand. Ergonomics is simply unbeatable...

If I were going for a FF right now, I'd probably try to check out a D600. Smaller, good sensor, and 24MP or whatever it is is good enough for me and a slight bump on the 5DIII. The 5DIII is a great camera and a better sports camera but I'm not really into shooting sports. Those D800 files would just kill my computer.

I should mention though that a lot of it boils down to the user. I have seen stunning shots from the 5D classic, used in rough conditions. Heck, I've gotten great files from my Canon 20D, though the image is definitely noisier than today's stuff.

dr_romix · 10-31-2012, 04:58 AM

Originally posted by sb in ak

If I were going for a FF right now, I'd probably try to check out a D600. Smaller, good sensor, and 24MP or whatever it is is good enough for me and a slight bump on the 5DIII. The 5DIII is a great camera and a better sports camera but I'm not really into shooting sports. Those D800 files would just kill my computer.

I should mention though that a lot of it boils down to the user. I have seen stunning shots from the 5D classic, used in rough conditions. Heck, I've gotten great files from my Canon 20D, though the image is definitely noisier than today's stuff.

Have you used D600?

sb in ak · 10-31-2012, 02:48 PM

I haven't. My lean toward the D600 was based solely on specs, user reviews, and what I personally want/need in a camera. If I were to actually buy one, I'd want to test one in a store first. Same goes for every camera purchase really (though hard to do here in Alaska).

You could check out the 5DII though as well...you get a lot of bang for the buck for the $1700 or whatever they are selling it for now. I have gotten some stunning prints from mine at 17x20 (or thereabouts). The sensor isn't as good as Nikon's but personally, I don't feel terribly limited by it. I try to use graduated ND filters for my landscape work involving scenes with more dynamic range than the sensor can handle. AF is not spectacular but the center point is fine for most things IMO. The 5DIII is a nice upgrade in that regard, and it fixes a lot of the little annoyances with the 5DII (locking mode dial, on switch placement, etc.) If you're shooting lots of fast action, ignore the 5DII and go straight for its successor.

Anyways, the best thing you can do is try some in person. A lot of Pentax users seem to find that Nikon's ergonomics work better for them. Best of luck with the decision.

dr_romix · 10-31-2012, 04:48 PM

Originally posted by sb in ak

I haven't. My lean toward the D600 was based solely on specs, user reviews, and what I personally want/need in a camera. If I were to actually buy one, I'd want to test one in a store first. Same goes for every camera purchase really (though hard to do here in Alaska).

You could check out the 5DII though as well...you get a lot of bang for the buck for the $1700 or whatever they are selling it for now. I have gotten some stunning prints from mine at 17x20 (or thereabouts). The sensor isn't as good as Nikon's but personally, I don't feel terribly limited by it. I try to use graduated ND filters for my landscape work involving scenes with more dynamic range than the sensor can handle. AF is not spectacular but the center point is fine for most things IMO. The 5DIII is a nice upgrade in that regard, and it fixes a lot of the little annoyances with the 5DII (locking mode dial, on switch placement, etc.) If you're shooting lots of fast action, ignore the 5DII and go straight for its successor.

Anyways, the best thing you can do is try some in person. A lot of Pentax users seem to find that Nikon's ergonomics work better for them. Best of luck with the decision.

appreciate your input.

**Wingincamera** · 11-01-2012, 09:44 PM

I guess I will comment on this, since I just finished selling off my Canon 5D outfit. I had the 5D Mark 1 (clasic), which didn't offer some of the features that the Pentax's would fulfill. The 5D's are still used by many landscape & wedding photographers because of the quality prints it will produce. The 5Dc does not have near the iso capability of the newer cameras, but one thing it does have is lack of digital noise. When I started looking at photos from the K-5 & K-30 the first thing I noticed was the digital noise. They are pretty clear, but no match for the clarity I was getting with my old 5Dc, below 400 iso. From what I have looked at, I think the 5D was better up to 400 iso, tied with the K-5 at 500-600 iso, and above that the Pentax was better, and of course the Pentax has much better higher iso's. But for landscape I use a tripod very seldom ever went above 400 iso. The 5Dc has no liveview and sometimes I had a lot of difficulty getting my eye ball to look through the eye piece. Also, the focus is pretty slow, but again for landscape I don't need speed.
But the 5D does have it's limitations and that is why I am jumping into the Pentax world.

10-30-2012, 07:47 AM	#1
dr_romix Banned Join Date: May 2011 Location: Pittsburgh,PA Posts: 321	dpreview K5 vs Canon 5D Mark III Hey all, I was thinking of purchasing a FF camera since Pentax hasn't listened to some of us needs yet. I'm linear towards Canon 5D as one of my professional photographers uses all the time and very pleased with it. As I looked around, I noticed a new version Mark III. When I compared the features to my current K-5 on dpreview, I didn't notice that much difference and to some extent, K-5 still outperforms.. Canon EOS 5D Mark III Review: Digital Photography Review scroll down to the button of the page, turn on Compare button and add K-5 from the list and see the comparison. Pentax got score of 83 vs Canon 84.. Any thoughts? Thanks, Derek Last edited by dr_romix; 10-30-2012 at 08:13 AM.

10-30-2012, 09:39 AM	#6
SpartanWarrior Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Sparta, Greece. Posts: 104	Sorry guys crop cameras just can't cut it compared to FF, I have K5 5D II and 5D III, here are a couple tests with the K5 and 5D II 1, 5D II EF 24-105, f4, 1/200, ISO 12800 2, K5 DA 16-50. f4 1/200, ISO 12800 Tripod was used and focus was in the same spot, and 5D III is even better than 5D II. Forgot to add both shot in RAW and converted to jpeg. Last edited by SpartanWarrior; 10-30-2012 at 09:47 AM.

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10-30-2012, 08:26 AM	#2
kenafein Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Southern California Photos: Albums Posts: 4,082	Sony(Nikon and Pentax) simply has better sensors than Canon at the moment. Canon's sensor tech development seems to have stagnated. The 5D Mark 3 isn't really much better than the 5D Mark 2 in terms of image quality. The advantages of full frame aren't IQ alone, however, and with equivalent lenses there shouldn't be any real difference in quality. Ask yourself why do you really want full frame? It may or may not be useful to you.

10-30-2012, 08:40 AM	#3
sb in ak Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Omaha, NE Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 612	A word on DP Reviews: they represent a moment in time. The K5 review is probably from 2010 or 11 whereas the 5DIII is from earlier this year. What kind of stuff do you shoot? You would see some things improved (larger viewfinder, more resolution, better AF) but the K5 sports a better (although smaller) image sensor, which will give you more ability to lift shadows, etc. The K5 is also more compact, has better WR, and has better ergonomics, IMO. Depends on what you need it for, really.

10-30-2012, 09:20 AM	#4
dr_romix Banned Join Date: May 2011 Location: Pittsburgh,PA Posts: 321 Original Poster	Resolution is something I'm definitely looking for especially to blow out large prints and pixel peeping. What I can't convince myself is whether that price differences with K-5 could fill the gap. I never liked the grip of any Canon camera. Pentax just feels perfect. Many times, I took pictures holding the camera with only one hand. Ergonomics is simply unbeatable...

10-30-2012, 09:24 AM	#5
kenafein Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Southern California Photos: Albums Posts: 4,082	Originally posted by dr_romix Resolution is something I'm definitely looking for especially to blow out large prints and pixel peeping. What I can't convince myself is whether that price differences with K-5 could fill the gap. I never liked the grip of any Canon camera. Pentax just feels perfect. Many times, I took pictures holding the camera with only one hand. Ergonomics is simply unbeatable... Then get the D800e. It has the highest resolution of the full frames. It would help on giant prints or with pixel peeping. Nikon ergonomics are closer to Pentax than Canon's are.

10-30-2012, 10:02 AM	#7
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,653	Originally posted by SpartanWarrior Sorry guys crop cameras just can't cut it compared to FF, I have K5 5D II and 5D III, here are a couple tests with the K5 and 5D II 1, 5D II EF 24-105, f4, 1/200, ISO 12800 2, K5 DA 16-50. f4 1/200, ISO 12800 Tripod was used and focus was in the same spot, and 5D III is even better than 5D II. Forgot to add both shot in RAW and converted to jpeg. Neither one looks acceptable to me. I think all in all, full frame cameras have roughly 1 stop on APS-C cameras in high iso. Still, at low iso, the K5 outdoes the 5D III.

10-30-2012, 10:29 AM	#8
Medium FormatPro Banned Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Charleston & Pittsburgh Photos: Albums Posts: 1,668	If there has ever been any one model line (in general) from Canon that I would not recommend - it would be any version of the Canon 5d. I'd rate most any Pentax camera over any version of the 5d, especialy for shutter life, and the ability for the camera to actually function fully. There have been many, many cases where the mirror simply does not hold up to professional use, even semi-professional use. The so called weather seals also leave much to be desired. I'd recommend any other camera that is full frame over and of the 5d models; especially the flagship Canon full frame, or any Sony model, or especially Nikon - given the recent price points of the recently released Nikon's

10-30-2012, 11:27 AM	#9
Thesorus Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreal (Canada) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 200	Don't forget, the rating are valid only within the camera classes. In this case, the K5 and 5D are in 2 different camera classes.

10-30-2012, 12:22 PM	#10
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	Well a 5D Mark III is better then a K-5. Only thing is that when your search is for hi-iso at iso 12.800 and up you better invest in some light (and Nikon).

10-30-2012, 02:21 PM	#11
sb in ak Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Omaha, NE Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 612	Originally posted by dr_romix Resolution is something I'm definitely looking for especially to blow out large prints and pixel peeping. What I can't convince myself is whether that price differences with K-5 could fill the gap. I never liked the grip of any Canon camera. Pentax just feels perfect. Many times, I took pictures holding the camera with only one hand. Ergonomics is simply unbeatable... If I were going for a FF right now, I'd probably try to check out a D600. Smaller, good sensor, and 24MP or whatever it is is good enough for me and a slight bump on the 5DIII. The 5DIII is a great camera and a better sports camera but I'm not really into shooting sports. Those D800 files would just kill my computer. I should mention though that a lot of it boils down to the user. I have seen stunning shots from the 5D classic, used in rough conditions. Heck, I've gotten great files from my Canon 20D, though the image is definitely noisier than today's stuff.

10-31-2012, 04:58 AM	#12
dr_romix Banned Join Date: May 2011 Location: Pittsburgh,PA Posts: 321 Original Poster	Originally posted by sb in ak If I were going for a FF right now, I'd probably try to check out a D600. Smaller, good sensor, and 24MP or whatever it is is good enough for me and a slight bump on the 5DIII. The 5DIII is a great camera and a better sports camera but I'm not really into shooting sports. Those D800 files would just kill my computer. I should mention though that a lot of it boils down to the user. I have seen stunning shots from the 5D classic, used in rough conditions. Heck, I've gotten great files from my Canon 20D, though the image is definitely noisier than today's stuff. Have you used D600?

10-31-2012, 02:48 PM	#13
sb in ak Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Omaha, NE Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 612	I haven't. My lean toward the D600 was based solely on specs, user reviews, and what I personally want/need in a camera. If I were to actually buy one, I'd want to test one in a store first. Same goes for every camera purchase really (though hard to do here in Alaska). You could check out the 5DII though as well...you get a lot of bang for the buck for the $1700 or whatever they are selling it for now. I have gotten some stunning prints from mine at 17x20 (or thereabouts). The sensor isn't as good as Nikon's but personally, I don't feel terribly limited by it. I try to use graduated ND filters for my landscape work involving scenes with more dynamic range than the sensor can handle. AF is not spectacular but the center point is fine for most things IMO. The 5DIII is a nice upgrade in that regard, and it fixes a lot of the little annoyances with the 5DII (locking mode dial, on switch placement, etc.) If you're shooting lots of fast action, ignore the 5DII and go straight for its successor. Anyways, the best thing you can do is try some in person. A lot of Pentax users seem to find that Nikon's ergonomics work better for them. Best of luck with the decision.

10-31-2012, 04:48 PM	#14
dr_romix Banned Join Date: May 2011 Location: Pittsburgh,PA Posts: 321 Original Poster	Originally posted by sb in ak I haven't. My lean toward the D600 was based solely on specs, user reviews, and what I personally want/need in a camera. If I were to actually buy one, I'd want to test one in a store first. Same goes for every camera purchase really (though hard to do here in Alaska). You could check out the 5DII though as well...you get a lot of bang for the buck for the $1700 or whatever they are selling it for now. I have gotten some stunning prints from mine at 17x20 (or thereabouts). The sensor isn't as good as Nikon's but personally, I don't feel terribly limited by it. I try to use graduated ND filters for my landscape work involving scenes with more dynamic range than the sensor can handle. AF is not spectacular but the center point is fine for most things IMO. The 5DIII is a nice upgrade in that regard, and it fixes a lot of the little annoyances with the 5DII (locking mode dial, on switch placement, etc.) If you're shooting lots of fast action, ignore the 5DII and go straight for its successor. Anyways, the best thing you can do is try some in person. A lot of Pentax users seem to find that Nikon's ergonomics work better for them. Best of luck with the decision. appreciate your input.

11-01-2012, 09:44 PM	#15
Wingincamera Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pine Haven, Wyoming Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,182	I guess I will comment on this, since I just finished selling off my Canon 5D outfit. I had the 5D Mark 1 (clasic), which didn't offer some of the features that the Pentax's would fulfill. The 5D's are still used by many landscape & wedding photographers because of the quality prints it will produce. The 5Dc does not have near the iso capability of the newer cameras, but one thing it does have is lack of digital noise. When I started looking at photos from the K-5 & K-30 the first thing I noticed was the digital noise. They are pretty clear, but no match for the clarity I was getting with my old 5Dc, below 400 iso. From what I have looked at, I think the 5D was better up to 400 iso, tied with the K-5 at 500-600 iso, and above that the Pentax was better, and of course the Pentax has much better higher iso's. But for landscape I use a tripod very seldom ever went above 400 iso. The 5Dc has no liveview and sometimes I had a lot of difficulty getting my eye ball to look through the eye piece. Also, the focus is pretty slow, but again for landscape I don't need speed. But the 5D does have it's limitations and that is why I am jumping into the Pentax world.