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Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax ist DL2

Portability
80
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Pentax ist DL2 front
Portability
69
Imaging
45
Features
33
Overall
40

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax ist DL2 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Launched February 2015
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M5
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 III
Pentax ist DL2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 565g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Revealed January 2006
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax ist DL2 Overview

The following is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-M5 II versus Pentax ist DL2, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and ist DL2 (6MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and ist DL2 (APS-C) feature different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 II was released 9 years after the ist DL2 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-M5 II matches up against the ist DL2 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Pentax ist DL2

 E-M5 II ist DL2 
RevealedFebruary 2015January 2006Newer by 110 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1037k210kClearer display (+827k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DL2 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 ist DL2 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Pentax ist DL2

 E-M5 II ist DL2 
Manual focus More precise focusing

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax ist DL2 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 II enjoys outer dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) whilst the Pentax ist DL2 has specifications of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 II versus Pentax ist DL2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 II versus the ist DL2.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax ist DL2 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 II and ist DL2 is 80 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax ist DL2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax ist DL2 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's tough to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions simply by looking through specifications. The picture here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 II and ist DL2.

To sum up, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 II featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Olympus E-M5 II will provide you with more detail as a result of its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images far more aggressively. The younger E-M5 II provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax ist DL2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax ist DL2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax ist DL2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography features
Pentax ist DL2 Portrait photography features
72
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
51
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
does not have liveview
low resolution sensor (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Street photography with Pentax ist DL2
82
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
supports touch focus
weather sealing
great high ISO (25,600)
60
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition (565g)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography information
Pentax ist DL2 Sports photography information
65
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather sealing
bad battery life (310 shots)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
39
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography highlights
Pentax ist DL2 Travel photography highlights
74
weather sealing
supports touch focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
bad battery life (310 per charge)
52
lighter than competition (565 grams)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse mode
low resolution sensor (6 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography information
Pentax ist DL2 Landscape photography information
74
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
bad battery life (310 CIPA)
47
has manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
does not have liveview
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (6MP)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging info
Pentax ist DL2 Vlogging info
82
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external microphone support
22
lighter than competition (565g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low quality video ( resolution)
missing external microphone jack
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax ist DL2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Pentax ist DL2
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPentax ist DL2
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Pentax ist DL2
Class Advanced Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Launched 2015-02-06 2006-01-27
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 6 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 3008 x 2008
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW images
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 81 5
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Amount of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 210 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.57x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash -
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 -
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG -
Microphone 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 None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 469 gr (1.03 lbs) 565 gr (1.25 lbs)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 65
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 22.9
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 11.1
DXO Low light score 896 639
Other
Battery life 310 pictures -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLN-1 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC card
Storage slots One One
Price at release $699 -