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Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL8
(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
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Launched September 2016
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL7
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL9
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
  • Introduced August 2005
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

Below is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and ist DS2 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL8 was released 11 years later than the ist DS2 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a full comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-PL8 scores versus the ist DS2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Pentax ist DS2

 E-PL8 ist DS2 
IntroducedSeptember 2016August 2005More recent by 135 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k210kCrisper screen (+827k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Olympus E-PL8

 ist DS2 E-PL8 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Pentax ist DS2

 E-PL8 ist DS2 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL8 has got physical dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Pentax ist DS2 has dimensions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL8 and the ist DS2.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL8 and ist DS2 is 86 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements just by researching technical specs. The photograph below may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and ist DS2.

As you can tell, both cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL8 featuring a smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Olympus E-PL8 will render more detail as a result of its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The newer E-PL8 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Portrait photography information
Pentax ist DS2 Portrait photography information
72
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
saves RAW files
50
manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
no liveview feature
low resolution (6 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Street photography features
Pentax ist DS2 Street photography features
84
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
offers touch focus
good ISO range (25,600)
60
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition in class (605g)
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Sports photography camera
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect AF
38
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Travel photography features
Pentax ist DS2 Travel photography features
71
offers touch focus
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
52
lighter than competition in class (605 grams)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse function
low resolution (6MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL8
Landscape photography with Pentax ist DS2
80
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
46
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
tiny screen (2.5")
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (6MP)
no Time Lapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Vlogging advice
Pentax ist DS2 Vlogging advice
35
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic jack
22
lighter than competition in class (605g)
does not feature selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video res low ( resolution)
no external mic port
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Pentax ist DS2
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Pentax ist DS2
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL8 Pentax ist DS2
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Launched 2016-09-19 2005-08-22
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
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 aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 3008 x 2008
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 200
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Number of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.5 inches
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 210k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 8.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash -
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 -
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 357 grams (0.79 lbs) 605 grams (1.33 lbs)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 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 350 images -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/MMC card
Storage slots One One
Price at release $500 -