Canon EOS-1D Mark II vs Pentax K-1 Mark II

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS-1D Mark II and the Pentax K-1 Mark II, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS-1D Mark II was introduced in June 2004 and Pentax K-1 Mark II was introduced in February 2018. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS-1D Mark II over Pentax K-1 Mark II.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax K-1 Mark II over Canon EOS-1D Mark II.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS-1D Mark II has a 2.0" Fixed screen with 230k dot resolution and Pentax K-1 Mark II has a 3.2" Fully Articulated screen with 1,037k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Pentax K-1 Mark II selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinders. They both have 100% coverage.

Canon EOS-1D Mark II features a 8.2 megapixel APS-H CMOS sensor with dimensions of 28.7 x 19.1 mm and a total area of 548.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 3,200. Pentax K-1 Mark II features a 36.4 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 24 mm and a total area of 576 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 819,200.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS-1D Mark II can take pictures up to 3504 x 2336 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3104 x 2072, 2544 x 1696, 1728 x 1152 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Pentax K-1 Mark II is equipped with PRIME IV processor and can take pictures up to 7360 x 4912 resolution.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS-1D Mark II has Canon EF lens mount and Pentax K-1 Mark II has Pentax K_AF4 lens mount. Due to APS-H sensor in Canon EOS-1D Mark II its crop factor is equal to 1.3x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.3. Due to Full Frame sensor in Pentax K-1 Mark II its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Low-Pass Filter on Pentax K-1 Mark II

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Pentax K-1 Mark II. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Pentax K-1 Mark II

Pentax K-1 Mark II has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 5 stops of compensation. This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in GPS on Pentax K-1 Mark II

Pentax K-1 Mark II has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Pentax K-1 Mark II

Pentax K-1 Mark II has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Pentax K-1 Mark II comes with D-LI90 battery pack with battery life of 670 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS-1D Mark II has two card slots - one for SD and one for CompactFlash (Type I/II). Pentax K-1 Mark II has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slots.

Shutter

Pentax K-1 Mark II has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS-1D Mark II, and up to 1/8000 sec on Pentax K-1 Mark II. Canon EOS-1D Mark II can shoot continuously up to 8.5 fps. Pentax K-1 Mark II can shoot continuously up to 4.4 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS-1D Mark II has 45 focusing points and Pentax K-1 Mark II has 33 (25 cross-type) focusing points. Pentax K-1 Mark II has detection range from -3 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS-1D Mark II and Pentax K-1 Mark II range from 0 to +20 EV and -3 to +20 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Canon EOS-1D Mark II and ±5 EV range on Pentax K-1 Mark II. You can also do exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS-1D Mark II and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax K-1 Mark II.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal to Pentax K-1 Mark II. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Canon EOS-1D Mark II and 1/200 sec on Pentax K-1 Mark II.

Canon EOS-1D Mark II body has dimensions of 156 x 158 x 80 mm (6.14 x 6.22 x 3.15") and Pentax K-1 Mark II body has dimensions of 137 x 110 x 86 mm (5.39 x 4.33 x 3.39"). Canon EOS-1D Mark II weighs 1565 g (3.45 lb / 55.20 oz) and Pentax K-1 Mark II weighs 1010 g (2.23 lb / 35.63 oz).

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Pentax K-1 Mark II

156 mm

158 mm

137 mm

110 mm