Canon EOS 5DS vs Pentax K-S2

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 5DS and the Pentax K-S2, 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.

Both cameras were introduced in February 2015. 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 5DS over Pentax K-S2.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax K-S2 over Canon EOS 5DS.

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 5DS has a 3.2" Fixed screen with 1,040k dot resolution and Pentax K-S2 has a 3.0" Fully Articulated screen with 921k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Pentax K-S2 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 5DS features a 50.6 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 864 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode. Pentax K-S2 features a 20.12 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 243.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200.

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 5DS is equipped with Dual DIGIC 6 processor and can take pictures up to 8688 x 5792 resolution. Pentax K-S2 is equipped with PRIME MII processor and can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4224 x 2816, 3072 x 2048, 1920 x 1280 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 5DS has Canon EF lens mount and Pentax K-S2 has Pentax K_AF2 lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Canon EOS 5DS 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. Due to APS-C sensor in Pentax K-S2 its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

No Low-Pass Filter on Pentax K-S2

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Pentax K-S2. 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-S2

Pentax K-S2 has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). 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 Wi-Fi on Pentax K-S2

Pentax K-S2 has a built-in Wi-Fi 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.

NFC on Pentax K-S2

Pentax K-S2 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS 5DS has a Mini HDMI and Pentax K-S2 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 5DS comes with LP-E6 battery pack with battery life of 700 shots and Pentax K-S2 comes with D-LI109 battery pack with battery life of 410 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 5DS has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and one for CompactFlash (UDMA 7). Pentax K-S2 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 5DS, and up to 1/6000 sec on Pentax K-S2. Canon EOS 5DS can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Pentax K-S2 can shoot continuously up to 5.4 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 5DS has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 61 (41 cross-type) focusing points and Pentax K-S2 has 11 focusing points. Canon EOS 5DS has detection range from -2 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS 5DS ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 5DS and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax K-S2.

Flash

Pentax K-S2 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Canon EOS 5DS has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Canon EOS 5DS.

Canon EOS 5DS body has dimensions of 152 x 116 x 76 mm (5.98 x 4.57 x 2.99") and Pentax K-S2 body has dimensions of 91 x 123 x 73 mm (3.58 x 4.84 x 2.87"). Canon EOS 5DS weighs 930 g (2.05 lb / 32.80 oz) and Pentax K-S2 weighs 678 g (1.49 lb / 23.92 oz).

Canon EOS 5DS

Pentax K-S2

152 mm

116 mm

91 mm

123 mm

116 mm

123 mm

76 mm

73 mm