Product Comparison: Pentax K-1 Mark II vs Nikon D850

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Pentax K-1 Mark II Digital SLR Camera

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Nikon D850 FX-Format Digital SLR Camera Body

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General Specifications

Brand

Pentax

Nikon

Model

K-1 Mark II

D850

Origin

Philippines

Thailand

About the Product

The PENTAX K-1 II full-frame digital SLR camera is the new flagship model of the PENTAX K series, providing exceptional image quality and unprecedented performance.

The D850 puts staggering image quality and impressive performance within reach of working photographers everywhere.

Key Specs

Sensor Resolution

36.4 MP

45.7 MP

Sensor Type

CMOS

Lens

Body

Viewfinder

Pentaprism

Sensor Resolution

Size & Weight

Height

4.33 in.

4.9 in.

Width

5.37 in.

5.8 in.

Depth

3.36 in.

3.1 in.

Weight

32.62 oz.

32.3 oz.

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

Pentax K-1 Mark II Digital SLR Camera

It takes amazing photos and, it is well balance.
The camera is very compact for bag.
I like the size and weight of the body.
The K-1 is pretty heavy.
Heavy to carry around all day.

Nikon D850 FX-Format Digital SLR Camera Body

Super well designed, comfortable, if not a tad on the heavy side. It's a beast of a camera though, so I can absolutely forgive the weight, and it's by no means uncomfortably heavy.
The body is just about the same size as the D810 and the weight seems similar in my hand.
With respect to size, I did get a chance to shoot it side by side with my friends D810. The D850 did sit better in the hand than the D810. The D850 felt a bit heavier, but more comfortable to hold.
This camera is heavy. Its the first Nikon I have owned where it has felt heavy in my hands.
The d850 is a little heavy, but out shines any camera I have ever owned.

Imaging

ISO Settings

Auto: 100-819200

Auto: 64-25600, Extended: 32 - 102400

Burst Mode

Yes

Low Light/High Sensitivity

Yes

Face Detection

Yes

Image File Format(s)

JPEG, RAW

RAW, JPEG, RAW + JPEG

Low Light/High Sensitivity
Face Detection

What customers say about "Imaging"

Pentax K-1 Mark II Digital SLR Camera

The image quality is superb. Amazing ISO performance.
The images the K1 produces are exceptional.
Shooting at high ISO still produces great shots.
Very good ISO performance.
Great low light performance at high ISO.

Nikon D850 FX-Format Digital SLR Camera Body

If you know anything about the D850, you'll know that the autofocus in the body is industry leading.
A huge number of autofocus points, incredible focus speed, it's absolutely incredible.
This camera is a beast. It's got a whopping 45.7 megapixels. This was a major upgrade for me, coming from the 24.1 megapixels in my D5200.
It has great low-light capabilities, and the autofocus works surprisingly well even in low light.
The low light performance isn't great and as a whole... it lacks the finer points of higher end cameras.

Display

Display Type

TFT-LCD

Screen Size

3.2 in.

Screen Resolution

1037000 dots

2359000 dots

Touch Screen

Yes

Vari-angle Display

Yes

What customers say about "Display"

Pentax K-1 Mark II Digital SLR Camera

The LCD screen is gorgeous!
The 3.2" screen does a decent job.
The LCD screen is great.
The LCD screen is large, bright and super crisp.
The LCD screen is great, even in bright sun.

Nikon D850 FX-Format Digital SLR Camera Body

I was skeptical that I would ever use the touchscreen aspect of the screen but I must say I was wrong. I use it very often. The screen itself is large, bright, and great resolution.
You can pinch to zoom on your pictures and zoom in to see some incredible detail this camera takes.
Screen tilts up and down, a really handy feature that I forget about too often.
I especially love picking focus points on the rear touch screen -- so much easier than doing so using the buttons on the camera.
That rear screen. It is so clear and bright it pushes me to make more use of Live View, And about time Nikon offered a tilt screen.

Features

Water Resistant

Yes

Shock Resistant

Panorama Mode

Shooting Modes

AUTO, SCN, Program, Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Shutter & Aperture Priority, Manual, Bulb, Flash X-sync Speed, Custom

AUTO, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual

White Balance Modes

AUTO WB, Multi Auto WB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Tungsten, CTE, Manual WB, Color Temperature

Auto, Cloudy, Direct Sunlight, Fine-tuning, Flash, Fluorescent (7 types), Incandescent, Natural Light Auto, Shade, Preset manual, Color Temperature

Shutter Speeds

30 - 1/8000

Water Resistant
Panorama Mode

What customers say about "Features"

Pentax K-1 Mark II Digital SLR Camera

The controls and menus are easy to navigate.
Awesome ISO range and low noise.
36.4mp is wonderful. Great detail.
Great camera, fast shutter speed.
It's great camera with plenty of good features.

Nikon D850 FX-Format Digital SLR Camera Body

The weatherproofing is excellent. You can watch tons of review videos where you'll see them leaving the camera on a tripod in rainy weather to do a timelapse, and then they simply dry it off with a towel later.
Having come from the D5200 I feel like the controls are much more intuitive and better placed so as to be more ergonomic.
As a person who loves to do astrophotography, one of my favorite tiny improvements is the illuminated buttons! I don't know how I survived without that before this.
The ergonomics -- a lot of people have commented on the deeper hand grip. A real positive for handheld.
The Fn buttons are useful for setting quick commands (note, if you don’t see an option, scroll down…there are pages and pages of options for each button!) This is very nice!

Connectivity

PictBridge Enabled

Yes

NFC Enabled

Yes

Integrated GPS

Yes

Output(s)

USB 2.0, X-sync socket, HDMI (Type D), 3.5mm jack

USB 3.0, HDMI Type C, 3.5mm jack

Number Of Memory Card Slots

What customers say about "Connectivity"

Pentax K-1 Mark II Digital SLR Camera

I like the HDMI output. Good connectivity.
Great connectivity. Highly recommend.
The camera connects perfectly to the TV via HDMI.
All necessary connectors are present.
Very good quality. Has 3.5mm jack.

Nikon D850 FX-Format Digital SLR Camera Body

Buy the high speed SD cards. They are crazy expensive, but they will fit directly into most computers while allowing you take photos almost as fast as you can push the button.
The SD/XQD Card door is a little easier to open and close if compare with my previous camera, and it feels nicer to the touch with a textured rubber cover.
The bluetooth hasn't been a problem. Use the camera menu to turn it on and, if the phone/tablet is paired, it will quickly connect.
The iphone wifi sync feature is incredible-- you can see what the camera sees on your phone and control the shutter.
The WIFI connection was a big disappointment, so slow and a lot of disconnections.

Power

Battery Model

Rechargeable Li-ion Battery D-LI90P

Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL15a

Battery Life

670 frames

1840 frames