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Canon 550D vs Pentax K-S2

Portability
70
Imaging
58
Features
63
Overall
60
Canon EOS 550D front
 
Pentax K-S2 front
Portability
64
Imaging
64
Features
82
Overall
71

Canon 550D vs Pentax K-S2 Key Specs

Canon 550D
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Boost to 12800)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 530g - 129 x 98 x 62mm
  • Released April 2010
  • Also Known as EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4
  • Superseded the Canon 500D
  • Replacement is Canon 600D
Pentax K-S2
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 678g - 123 x 91 x 73mm
  • Launched February 2015
  • Older Model is Pentax K-S1
Photography Glossary

Canon 550D vs Pentax K-S2 Overview

On this page, we are looking at the Canon 550D versus Pentax K-S2, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by manufacturers Canon and Pentax. The resolution of the 550D (18MP) and the K-S2 (20MP) is fairly comparable and both cameras provide the same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The 550D was revealed 5 years prior to the K-S2 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief overview of how the 550D matches up vs the K-S2 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon 550D over the Pentax K-S2

 550D K-S2 
Display resolution1040k921kCrisper display (+119k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax K-S2 over the Canon 550D

 K-S2 550D 
LaunchedFebruary 2015April 2010Fresher by 59 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Canon 550D and Pentax K-S2

 550D K-S2 
Manually focus Very precise focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Canon 550D vs Pentax K-S2 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Canon 550D has exterior dimensions of 129mm x 98mm x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") along with a weight of 530 grams (1.17 lbs) while the Pentax K-S2 has sizing of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") having a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Check out the Canon 550D versus Pentax K-S2 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the 550D versus the K-S2.

Canon 550D vs Pentax K-S2 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 550D and K-S2 is 70 and 64 respectively.

Canon 550D vs Pentax K-S2 top view buttons comparison

Canon 550D vs Pentax K-S2 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing purely by going through a spec sheet. The graphic underneath might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the 550D and K-S2.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You can anticipate the Pentax K-S2 to produce extra detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The older 550D will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Canon 550D vs Pentax K-S2 sensor size comparison

Canon 550D vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 550D vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 550D Portrait photography advice
Pentax K-S2 Portrait photography advice
74
you can focus manually
decent MP (18 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection focus
exports RAW files
78
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has face detection focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon 550D Street photography info
Pentax K-S2 Street photography info
60
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
72
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
very good ISO range (51,200)
heavier than competition in class (678g)
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Sports Comparison

Canon 550D as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-S2 as a Sports photography camera
54
decent MP (18 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery power (470 shots)
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.4 frames per second)
bad battery power (410 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Canon 550D Travel photography details
Pentax K-S2 Travel photography details
55
decent MP (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse recording
terrible battery power (470 shots)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
65
weather sealing
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
bad battery power (410 shots)
heavier than competition in class (678 grams)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon 550D
Landscape photography with Pentax K-S2
63
you can focus manually
change lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
decent MP (18MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery power (470 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
77
has manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
no anti-alias filter
very good ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
bad battery power (410 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 550D Vlogging advice
Pentax K-S2 Vlogging advice
31
supports face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external microphone socket
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
71
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external mic port
heavier than competition in class (678g)
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Canon 550D vs Pentax K-S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 550D and Pentax K-S2
 Canon EOS 550DPentax K-S2
General Information
Manufacturer Canon Pentax
Model type Canon EOS 550D Pentax K-S2
Also called as EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4 -
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2010-04-01 2015-02-10
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Digic 4 PRIME MII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 22.3 x 14.9mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 332.3mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 18MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 6400 51200
Maximum boosted ISO 12800 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 9 11
Lens
Lens mount type Canon EF/EF-S Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 326 151
Crop factor 1.6 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,040 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT color liquid-crystal LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/6000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames/s 5.4 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on, flash on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual flash
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/200 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (60, 50 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 530 gr (1.17 lbs) 678 gr (1.49 lbs)
Physical dimensions 129 x 98 x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") 123 x 91 x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 66 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 not tested
DXO Low light rating 807 not tested
Other
Battery life 470 photographs 410 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LP-E8 D-LI109
Self timer Yes (2 sec or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $599 $581