Pentax K-5 vs Sony A7

Cameras
Compare Cameras
Pentax K-5 vs Sony A7

APS-C 372.1mm²
16.3 megapixels
ISO 100 - 12,800

Go in depth with our full Pentax K-5 Review.
See real-world photos taken with the K-5.

35mm 855.6mm²
24.3 megapixels
ISO 100 - 25,600

Go in depth with our full Sony A7 Review.
How does it shoot? Sony A7 in the real world.
See real-world photos taken with the A7.
Compare Sony A7 image quality against competitors.
What’s the bottom line? Read our Sony A7 conclusion.

Succeeded by the Pentax K-5 II
Compare K-5 vs K-5 II

Succeeded by the Sony A7 II
Compare A7 vs A7 II

Compare PENTAX K-5 II vs SONY A7 II

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Differences

Pentax K-5 advantages over Sony A7

Lens selection
Excellent vs Good
Better lens selection gives you more options
In-Camera Image Stabilization
Yes vs No
Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
Fast startup
~0.60 vs 2.1 sec
Faster startup lets you catch the moment
Longer stills battery life
More info

Longer stills battery life

Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

740 vs 340 shots
Capture more photos
More telephoto lens reach
83 mm vs 70 mm
Capture objects farther away with the kit lens
Internal flash
Internal flash vs None
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
Top deck display
Yes vs No
Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
Less shutter lag
0.10 vs 0.23 sec
Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
Faster JPEG shooting
6.5 fps vs 5.0 fps
Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
Faster RAW shooting
6.5 fps vs 5.0 fps
Faster RAW shooting in burst mode

Sony A7 advantages over Pentax K-5

Focus peaking
Peaker vs Non-peaker
Your camera will highlight what's in focus
Larger sensor
35mm vs APS-C
More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
Bigger pixels
~ 5.97 vs 4.81 microns
Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
In-camera panoramas
Yes vs No
Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
Tiltable Screen
Tiltable vs Fixed
Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
Built-in Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi vs None
Share your photos wirelessly
NFC
Yes vs No
Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
Higher effective ISO

Higher effective ISO

Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

You can learn more at our glossary entry.

Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.
A7 test data on DxO Mark K-5 test data on DxO Mark

2,248 vs 1,162 iso
Take photos in low light with less noise
On-sensor phase detect
Yes vs No
Usually improves live view and video AF performance
Thinner
48 mm vs 73 mm
Thinner
Shoots 24p video
Yes vs No
Gives your movies a big-screen feel
Lighter weight
769g vs 1003g
Lighter weight
More viewfinder magnification
0.71x vs 0.61x
Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
More pixels
24.3 vs 16.3 megapixels
Higher resolution photos
Shoots 60p video
Yes vs No
A faster framerate can give you more editing options
Headphone jack
Yes vs No
Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
Bigger JPEG buffer
50 vs 31 shots
Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)

Similarities

Common Strengths

Eye-level viewfinder
Both provide
You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
External Mic Jack
Both provide
Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
HDMI out
Both provide
Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
Hot shoe
Both provide
Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
Bulb shutter
Both provide
Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

Tilt-swivel screen
Neither provide
Tilt and swivel the screen for maximum shooting flexibility
Touchscreen
Neither provide
Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
Built-in Bluetooth
Neither provide
Always-on wireless connectivity
Built-in GPS
Neither provide
Geotag your photos
Dual card slots
Neither provide
Gives you more storage flexibility
Slow-motion videos
Neither provide
Shoot slow-motion videos

User reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read K-5 User Reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read A7 User Reviews

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Your purchases support this site

Buy the Pentax K-5

Body Only

Body Only
Kit with 18-55mm Lens

Your purchases support this site

Buy the Sony A7

Body Only

Body Only
Kit with 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 lens

Review Excerpt

Excellent high ISO performance, one of the best APS-C sensors yet; 6.5 fps burst mode has very good buffer depths; Weather, dust, and cold resistant; In-body Shake Reduction corrects not only horizontal / vertical, but also rotational motion.
Default saturation and contrast a bit high; Auto white balance too warm in tungsten light; Fewer AF points than main competitors; Only a single card slot, and no UHS-I card support (slow buffer clearing).
Read our Pentax K-5 Full Review

Incredibly small body for a fully-featured, full-frame camera; Very high resolution; Hybrid autofocus is reasonably fast and confident; Significantly better burst-shooting performance than A7R; Excellent image quality even at very high sensitivities; Faster x-sync than A7R; Accepts existing Alpha-mount and E-mount lenses, and can optionally crop to APS-C image circle.
Grass-is-greener syndrome when compared to its higher-res sibling; Moderate performance; Loud shutter (but electronic first-curtain helps); Mediocre battery life when using electronic viewfinder; Weak low-light autofocus considering its price; Limited selection of native Sony FE lenses.
Read our Sony A7 Review

The Competition

Compared to Sony A7R

Pentax K-5

Sony A7R

$800
APS-C

Lens selection
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$1799
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

Compare Pentax K-5 vs Sony A7R

Sony A7

Sony A7R

$748
35mm

Less expensive
Bigger pixels

$1799
35mm

Higher effective ISO
More pixels

Compare Sony A7 vs Sony A7R

Compared to Canon T3i

Pentax K-5

Canon T3i

$800
APS-C

Larger sensor
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$549
APS-C

Less expensive
Tilt-swivel screen

Compare Pentax K-5 vs Canon T3i

Sony A7

Canon T3i

$748
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$549
APS-C

Lens selection
Tilt-swivel screen

Compare Sony A7 vs Canon T3i

Compared to Nikon D5100

Pentax K-5

Nikon D5100

$800
APS-C

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Top deck display

$650
APS-C

Less expensive
Tilt-swivel screen

Compare Pentax K-5 vs Nikon D5100

Sony A7

Nikon D5100

$748
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$650
APS-C

Lens selection
Tilt-swivel screen

Compare Sony A7 vs Nikon D5100

Compared to Pentax K-30

Pentax K-5

Pentax K-30

$800
APS-C

Fast startup
Longer stills battery life

$599
APS-C

Less expensive
Focus peaking

Compare Pentax K-5 vs Pentax K-30

Sony A7

Pentax K-30

$748
35mm

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

$599
APS-C

Lens selection
In-Camera Image Stabilization

Compare Sony A7 vs Pentax K-30

Compared to Sony A7 II

Pentax K-5

Sony A7 II

$800
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

$1148
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

Compare Pentax K-5 vs Sony A7 II

Sony A7

Sony A7 II

$748
35mm

Less expensive

$1148
35mm

In-Camera Image Stabilization

Compare Sony A7 vs Sony A7 II

Compare Other Cameras?