Canon EOS 5DS vs Pentax Q7

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 5DS and the Pentax Q7, 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 5DS was introduced in February 2015 and Pentax Q7 was introduced in August 2013. 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 Q7.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax Q7 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" screen with 1,040k dot resolution and Pentax Q7 has a 3.0" screen with 460k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS 5DS has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.71x magnification.Pentax Q7 does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional optical viewfinder can be attached.

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 Q7 features a 12.4 megapixel 1/1.7-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 7.44 x 5.58 mm and a total area of 31.1 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800.

Pentax Q7 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

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 Q7 can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 2664, 4000 x 2248, 3072 x 2304, 3072 x 2048, 3072 x 1728, 2992 x 2992, 2304 x 2304, 1920 x 1440, 1920 x 1280, 1920 x 1080, 1440 x 1440 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 5DS has Canon EF lens mount and Pentax Q7 has Pentax Q 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 1/1.7-inch sensor in Pentax Q7 its crop factor is equal to 4.7x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 4.7.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Pentax Q7

Pentax Q7 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.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS 5DS has a Mini HDMI and Pentax Q7 has a output terminal Type D HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 5DS comes with LP-E6 battery pack with battery life of 700 shots and Pentax Q7 comes with D-LI68 battery pack with battery life of 250 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 Q7 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and Eye-Fi Card card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 5DS, and up to 1/2000 sec on Pentax Q7. Cameras can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 5DS has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 61 (41 cross-type) focusing points and Pentax Q7 has . 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 on Canon EOS 5DS and ±3 EV range on Pentax Q7. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 5DS and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax Q7.

Flash

Pentax Q7 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 4.90 m (ISO100/m) 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 and 1/2000 sec on Pentax Q7.

Canon EOS 5DS body has dimensions of 152 x 116 x 76 mm (5.98 x 4.57 x 2.99") and Pentax Q7 body has dimensions of 102 x 58 x 34 mm (4.02 x 2.28 x 1.34"). Canon EOS 5DS weighs 930 g (2.05 lb / 32.80 oz) and Pentax Q7 weighs 200 g (0.44 lb / 7.05 oz).

Canon EOS 5DS

Pentax Q7

152 mm

116 mm

102 mm

58 mm

116 mm

58 mm

76 mm

34 mm