Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax ist DL2

Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax ist DL2, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and ist DL2 (6MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and ist DL2 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL2 was unveiled 5 years later than the ist DL2 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-PL2 matches up versus the ist DL2 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL2 & Pentax ist DL2. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery & Pentax ist DL2 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL2 provides exterior measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and 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).

Check out the Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax ist DL2 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL2 compared to the ist DL2.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL2 and ist DL2 is 85 and 69 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizing only by seeing specifications. The photograph underneath should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL2 and ist DL2.

Plainly, the 2 cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL2 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Olympus E-PL2 will show greater detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more modern E-PL2 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.