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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
43
Overall
46
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
33
Overall
40

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Introduced November 2010
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL1
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL2
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
  • Revealed August 2005
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

Below, we will be comparing the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax ist DS2, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and ist DS2 (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL1s was brought out 5 years after the ist DS2 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight into a complete comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-PL1s matches up versus the ist DS2 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Pentax ist DS2

 E-PL1s ist DS2 
RevealedNovember 2010August 2005Newer by 64 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-PL1s

 ist DS2 E-PL1s 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax ist DS2

 E-PL1s ist DS2 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1s provides outside measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Pentax ist DS2 has specifications of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax ist DS2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL1s versus the ist DS2.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and ist DS2 is 86 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions merely by checking a spec sheet. The picture below should give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1s and ist DS2.

As you can see, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1s due to its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh harder and the Olympus E-PL1s will give you greater detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots much more aggressively. The fresher E-PL1s is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Portrait photography with Pentax ist DS2
60
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
51
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
no liveview feature
sensor resolution low (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Street photography information
Pentax ist DS2 Street photography information
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no moving screen
60
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition in class (605 grams)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Sports photography with Pentax ist DS2
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
low fps (3.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery power (290 shots)
doesn't have phase detect AF
39
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
max fps low (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography highlights
Pentax ist DS2 Travel photography highlights
52
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
bad battery power (290 shots)
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
52
lighter than competition in class (605 grams)
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
sensor resolution low (6 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Landscape photography features
Pentax ist DS2 Landscape photography features
55
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inch)
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery power (290 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
47
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
small screen (2.5 inch)
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (6MP)
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL1s
Vlogging with Pentax ist DS2
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic socket
22
lighter than competition in class (605 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low quality video ( pxls)
does not have mic socket
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax ist DS2
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sPentax ist DS2
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL1s Pentax ist DS2
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2010-11-16 2005-08-22
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V -
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 12MP 6MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 3008 x 2008
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Available lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inches 2.5 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 210 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 -
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Mic port
Headphone port
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 334 gr (0.74 lb) 605 gr (1.33 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 290 pictures -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-1 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/MMC card
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $599 -