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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Introduced April 2012
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 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-M5 vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

Here, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-M5 versus Pentax ist DS2, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and ist DS2 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 was brought out 6 years later than the ist DS2 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-M5 grades versus the ist DS2 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Pentax ist DS2

 E-M5 ist DS2 
LaunchedApril 2012August 2005More recent by 82 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution610k210kCrisper screen (+400k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Olympus E-M5

 ist DS2 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax ist DS2

 E-M5 ist DS2 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 provides exterior measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Pentax ist DS2 has proportions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M5 versus Pentax ist DS2 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 vs the ist DS2.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and ist DS2 is 81 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be tough to envision the gap in sensor measurements merely by looking through specs. The photograph underneath should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and ist DS2.

As you can plainly see, both cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Olympus E-M5 will result in greater detail having its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The newer E-M5 will have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5
Portrait photography with Pentax ist DS2
71
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
50
you can focus manually
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
low MP (6 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography factors
Pentax ist DS2 Street photography factors
82
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
features focus by touch
weather proof
above average ISO range (25,600)
60
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competitors (605g)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Sports photography camera
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
weather proof
lack of phase detect AF
38
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
low MP (6MP)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Travel photography camera
66
weather proof
features focus by touch
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
does not offer selfie friendly screen
52
lighter than competitors (605g)
flash built-in
does not have Time Lapse recording
low MP (6 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5
Landscape photography with Pentax ist DS2
73
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
doesn't have Time Lapse function
46
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
small screen (2.5 inch)
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
low MP (6 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging highlights
Pentax ist DS2 Vlogging highlights
34
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
doesn't have mic socket
22
lighter than competitors (605 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video res low ( pixels)
does not have mic port
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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Pentax ist DS2
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Pentax ist DS2
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Pentax ist DS2
Class Advanced Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2012-04-30 2005-08-22
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 6 megapixels
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
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW support
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 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 size 3" 2.5"
Resolution of display 610k dot 210k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 9.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 -
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425g (0.94 lbs) 605g (1.33 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 images -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC card
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $799 -