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Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
82
Imaging
53
Features
73
Overall
61
Olympus OM-D E-M10 front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 119 x 82 x 46mm
  • Released March 2014
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M10 II
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
  • Launched August 2005
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Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

The following is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus E-M10 versus Pentax ist DS2, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-M10 (16MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and ist DS2 (APS-C) posses different sensor size.

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The E-M10 was introduced 8 years after the ist DS2 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going right into a full comparison, here is a simple summary of how the E-M10 grades against the ist DS2 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 over the Pentax ist DS2

 E-M10 ist DS2 
LaunchedMarch 2014August 2005Newer by 105 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k210kSharper screen (+827k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Olympus E-M10

 ist DS2 E-M10 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 and Pentax ist DS2

 E-M10 ist DS2 
Manually focus More exact focus
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M10 offers physical measurements of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) while the Pentax ist DS2 has specifications of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M10 versus Pentax ist DS2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M10 against the ist DS2.

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M10 and ist DS2 is 82 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions only by viewing specifications. The picture below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M10 and ist DS2.

To sum up, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M10 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh trickier and the Olympus E-M10 will render more detail using its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more modern E-M10 provides an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Portrait photography factors
Pentax ist DS2 Portrait photography factors
71
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
50
you can focus manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
MP count low (6 megapixels)
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Street photography highlights
Pentax ist DS2 Street photography highlights
77
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
supports focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
heavier than others in class (396g)
60
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition (605g)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Sports photography highlights
Pentax ist DS2 Sports photography highlights
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
lack of phase detect auto focus
38
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Travel photography highlights
Pentax ist DS2 Travel photography highlights
67
supports focus by touch
good MP (16MP)
built-in flash
heavier than others in class (396 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
52
lighter than competition (605 grams)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse mode
MP count low (6 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Landscape photography features
Pentax ist DS2 Landscape photography features
79
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
46
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (6MP)
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Vlogging features
Pentax ist DS2 Vlogging features
33
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have mic support
heavier than others in class (396 grams)
22
lighter than competition (605g)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution ( pixels)
no mic jack
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Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 and Pentax ist DS2
 Olympus OM-D E-M10Pentax ist DS2
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M10 Pentax ist DS2
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Released 2014-03-18 2005-08-22
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII -
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 16 megapixel 6 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 3008 x 2008
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Total lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 2.5 inches
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 210 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.80 m (ISO100) -
Flash settings Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual(1/1(FULL)~1/64) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 -
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 396g (0.87 lbs) 605g (1.33 lbs)
Physical dimensions 119 x 82 x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 884 not tested
Other
Battery life 320 photos -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (12 sec., 2 sec.,custom (Waiting time 1-30sec.,Shooting interval 0.5/1/2/3sec.,Number of shots 1-10)) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC card
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $600 -