Pentax 645Z vs Canon SL2

Pentax 645Z advantages over Canon SL2

• Focus peaking
  Peaker vs Non-peaker
  Your camera will highlight what's in focus
• Larger sensor
  Medium format vs APS-C
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 5.31 vs 3.72 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Better color depth

  Better color depth

  Color depth refers to the number of unique colors that a sensor can faithfully capture. Cameras with better color depth will demonstrate smoother transitions from one color to the next, and avoid "banding" in areas with subtle shading. (Blue skies are an example of where you might see color banding.)

  More color depth is generally better, but you'll struggle to notice a difference between two cameras with less than 1 bit of difference. Color depth above 22 bits is considered excellent.

  Want to learn more? Head over to our full glossary entry on color depth

  Color depth test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  645Z test data on DxO Mark SL2 test data on DxO Mark
  26.0 vs 23.6 bits
  Capture richer, more accurate colors
• 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.

  645Z test data on DxO Mark SL2 test data on DxO Mark
  4,505 vs 1,041 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• Top deck display
  Yes vs No
  Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
• More cross-type AF points
  25 vs 1
  Cross-type AF points improve autofocus performance
• More viewfinder magnification
  0.78x vs 0.54x
  Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
• More pixels
  51.4 vs 24.2 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Dual card slots
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more storage flexibility
• More AF points
  27 vs 9
  More AF points improve autofocus
• Lacks anti-aliasing filter
  No Filter vs Filter
  Enjoy sharper photos
• Bigger RAW buffer
  10 vs 5 shots
  Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
• Higher extended ISO
  204800 vs 51200 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility