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Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Released February 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL3
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
  • Released August 2005
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax ist DS2, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and ist DS2 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL2 was unveiled 5 years later than the ist DS2 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a complete comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-PL2 matches up vs the ist DS2 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Pentax ist DS2

 E-PL2 ist DS2 
ReleasedFebruary 2011August 2005More recent by 67 months
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k210kClearer screen (+250k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Olympus E-PL2

 ist DS2 E-PL2 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax ist DS2

 E-PL2 ist DS2 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to lug around your camera often, you have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL2 has got outer dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Pentax ist DS2 has proportions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax ist DS2 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at the time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL2 against the ist DS2.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL2 and ist DS2 is 85 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very difficult to picture the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading through a spec sheet. The visual below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL2 and ist DS2.

As you can see, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL2 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Olympus E-PL2 will give you more detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more recent E-PL2 provides a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Portrait photography camera
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
50
has manual focus
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
does not have liveview
sensor resolution not great (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL2
Street photography with Pentax ist DS2
73
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is fixed
60
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lighter than competition (605 grams)
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Sports photography camera
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
low battery life (280 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
38
decent sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL2
Travel photography with Pentax ist DS2
51
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
low battery life (280 CIPA)
MP count low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
52
lighter than competition (605 grams)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
sensor resolution not great (6MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax ist DS2 Landscape photography highlights
61
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
low battery life (280 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse recording
46
has manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
screen is small (2.5 inch)
does not have liveview
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (6 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL2
Vlogging with Pentax ist DS2
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focus
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external mic socket
22
lighter than competition (605 grams)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great ( pxls)
does not have external microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax ist DS2
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Pentax ist DS2
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Pentax ist DS2
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Released 2011-02-11 2005-08-22
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 6 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 3008 x 2008
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 11 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Number of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of screen 460k dots 210k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in 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
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 -
Video format Motion JPEG -
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362 grams (0.80 lb) 605 grams (1.33 lb)
Dimensions 114 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 All around score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 not tested
DXO Low light score 573 not tested
Other
Battery life 280 shots -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/MMC card
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $0 -