What is the crop factor of the Pentax K-5?

The Pentax K-5 is equipped with an APS-C sensor, whose diagonal measures 28.4mm. The sensor has a crop factor (or format factor, or focal length multiplier) of 1.5.

The crop factor is defined as the ratio of the 35mm full-frame film diagonal to the diagonal of a digital sensor. This number indicates how a lens behaves in relation to the size of the image sensor.

Sensor size comparison with a film slide

With a crop factor of 1.5, the sensor in the Pentax K-5 is smaller than the receptor area of a 35mm film slide or negative. As a result, a lens that is attached to the Pentax K-5 will offer a narrower angle of view and provide deeper depth of field than a lens of similar focal length and aperture on a film camera. The equivalent focal length is obtained by multiplying the actual focal length of the lens with the crop factor. For example, a 33mm lens on the Pentax K-5 will provide the same angle of view and depth of field as a 50mm normal lens on a film camera (33mm * 1.5 = 50mm).

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Pentax K-5 to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better), covering color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape), and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Pentax K-5	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/25p	23.7	14.1	1162	82
2.		Olympus E-M5	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60i	22.8	12.3	826	71
3.		Olympus E-M5 II	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	23.0	12.5	842	73
4.		Pentax K-3	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.7	13.4	1216	80
5.		Pentax K-3 II	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.6	13.6	1106	80
6.		Pentax K-5 II	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/25p	23.8	14.1	1235	82
7.		Pentax K-30	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.7	13.0	1129	79
8.		Pentax K-50	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.7	13.0	1120	79
9.		Pentax K-500	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.7	13.1	1087	79
10.		Pentax KP	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.9	13.2	1699	81
11.		Sony A77	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.2	801	78
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

In the United States, the K-5 was initially launched in September 2010 at a price of $1,099.

Check K-5 offers at
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Camera to camera comparisons

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