Olympus E-1 vs Pentax ist DS2

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-1 versus Pentax ist DS2, former is a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-1 (5MP) and the ist DS2 (6MP) is pretty well matched but the E-1 (Four Thirds) and ist DS2 (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

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The E-1 was revealed 21 months earlier than the ist DS2 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go through a full comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-1 grades against the ist DS2 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-1 & Pentax ist DS2. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Pentax ist DS2 Gallery.

If you are intending to travel with your camera often, you have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-1 provides outside dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") along with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Pentax ist DS2 has proportions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-1 versus Pentax ist DS2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-1 versus the ist DS2.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and ist DS2 is 59 and 68 respectively.

More often than not, it's hard to envision the gap between sensor dimensions just by looking at specs. The picture here may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-1 and ist DS2.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-1 with its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh trickier and the Pentax ist DS2 will give greater detail because of its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.