The Pentax K5 ranks at number 5 in DxO Mark, all cameras confounded!!

Picture copyright: DxO Mark

I just found out that the respected DxO Mark website (devoted to the analysis of the raw sensor performances from all kind of DSLR cameras in the market) has published its latest results, including those for the brand new Pentax flagship, the K5.


And the surprise is there: in their just updated ranking, the sensor of the Pentax K5 is at position number 5, topping ALL of Canon DSLR sensors, and preceded only by such prestigious cameras as the Phase One (P65 and P40), Nikon D3X and D3S and Pentax 645 D.


In other words: putting apart the medium format cameras, only the two top Nikon models are giving better results than the Pentax K5 (and those cameras are full frame, unlike the K5).


If that is not an accomplishment, I don't know what it is. Much props to Pentax for a work well done.


The excellent Spanish website DSLR Magazine has posted an article analyzing these results (they are collaborators of DxO Mark), and they couldn't be more enthusiastic: here's their conclusion:

¡En esta cámara réflex monocular de alta gama, Pentax monta el que –por el momento– podemos considerar, simplemente, el mejor captor APS-C de los que hemos evaluado hasta la fecha!

En conjunto la Pentax K5 saca 9 puntos de ventaja tanto a la Alfa 55 como a la Nikon D90 (mejor captor APS-C hasta la fecha).

El el apartado de respuesta en índice ISO con bajos niveles de luz, la Pentax K5 es un 1/3 de punto superior respecto a sus competidoras más próximas.

Pero donde realmente destaca la Pentax K5 es en el muy importante aspecto del Rango Dinámico: ofrece, a 80 ISO, nada más y nada menos que 14,1 EV en modo "copia" y 13,6 EV en modo "pantalla". De hecho, en Rango Dinámico, ni siquiera la Nikon D3x ("full frame") alcanza los niveles de la Pentax K5.

Parece que Pentax aplica un poco de procesado (RAW smoothing) por encima de 3.200 ISO, pero se trata de algo poco agresivo y que casi pasa desapercibido.

Translation:

In this high level DSLR camera, Pentax is using -at this time- what we can simply consider the best APS-C sensor among those we have evaluated thus far!

Overall, the Pentax K5 has an advantage of 9 points over the Alfa 55 and the Nikon D90 (best sensors until now).

In the part of ISO response at low light, the Pentax K5 is 1/3 points superior to its closest competitors.

But where the Pentax K5 realy excels is in the very important aspect of dynamic range: it offers, at ISO 80, nothing more or less than 14.1 EV in copy mde, and 13.6 EV in screen mode. In fact, in dynamic range, not even the Nikon D3X (full frame) reaches the levels of the Pentax K5.

It seems that Pentax is applying a bit of processing (RAW smoothing) over ISO 3,200, but it seems something little agressive and goes almost unnoticed. 

Icing on the cake, The Online Photographer is also singing the K5 praise. It seems Pentax has a clear winner in their new flagship.