Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax ist DS2

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.

Cutting-edge AI developed by Apple deciphers subtle nuances in pixels

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.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL8 & Pentax ist DS2. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery & Pentax ist DS2 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.