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Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Olympus E-420
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 426g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Released June 2008
  • Old Model is Olympus E-410
Pentax ist DS2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 605g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Announced August 2005
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

Following is a extensive review of the Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and ist DS2 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizes.

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The E-420 was launched 2 years after the ist DS2 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting in to a thorough comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-420 grades against the ist DS2 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Pentax ist DS2

 E-420 ist DS2 
AnnouncedJune 2008August 2005More modern by 35 months
Screen dimension2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution230k210kClearer screen (+20k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Olympus E-420

 ist DS2 E-420 

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Pentax ist DS2

 E-420 ist DS2 
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry around your camera often, you have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-420 provides outer measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Pentax ist DS2 has measurements of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-420 versus the ist DS2.

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and ist DS2 is 77 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes only by going through specifications. The picture below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and ist DS2.

Plainly, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-420 due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Olympus E-420 will produce extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The younger E-420 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Portrait photography camera
56
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
50
has manual focus
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview
low MP (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography details
Pentax ist DS2 Street photography details
64
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (426g)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
60
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lighter than competition (605g)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography factors
Pentax ist DS2 Sports photography factors
38
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
bad battery life (500 per charge)
38
decent sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
no liveview
slow frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
low MP (6MP)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography highlights
Pentax ist DS2 Travel photography highlights
52
lighter than competition in class (426 grams)
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse mode
bad battery life (500 CIPA)
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
52
lighter than competition (605 grams)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse function
low MP (6 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax ist DS2 Landscape photography highlights
47
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inches)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
bad battery life (500 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
46
has manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.5")
no liveview
no image stabilization
low MP (6MP)
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video shooting
22
lighter than competition (605 grams)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low res video ( resolution)
lack of mic jack
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Olympus E-420 vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Pentax ist DS2
 Olympus E-420Pentax ist DS2
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-420 Pentax ist DS2
Class Entry-Level DSLR Advanced DSLR
Released 2008-06-23 2005-08-22
Body design Compact SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 6MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 3008 x 2008
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Total lenses 45 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7" 2.5"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 210 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical
Viewfinder coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Max video resolution None -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 gr (0.94 lbs) 605 gr (1.33 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 527 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 photos -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/MMC card
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $999 -