Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax ist DS2

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax ist DS2, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a significant difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and ist DS2 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL3 was manufactured 6 years after the ist DS2 which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-PL3 matches up against the ist DS2 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Pentax ist DS2. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Pentax ist DS2 Gallery.

If you're intending to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL3 offers external measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Pentax ist DS2 has measurements of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax ist DS2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at that time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the ist DS2.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and ist DS2 is 88 and 68 respectively.

In many cases, it's hard to envision the difference between sensor sizes just by checking a spec sheet. The picture underneath will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and ist DS2.

As you can see, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL3 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Olympus E-PL3 will resolve extra detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images much more aggressively. The newer E-PL3 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.