Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the E-PM2 (16MP) and ist DL2 (6MP) and the E-PM2 (Four Thirds) and ist DL2 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor size.

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The E-PM2 was released 7 years after the ist DL2 which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a thorough comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-PM2 scores vs the ist DL2 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PM2 & Pentax ist DL2. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PM2 Gallery & Pentax ist DL2 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry around your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PM2 offers outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Pentax ist DL2 has proportions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PM2 against the ist DL2.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-PM2 and ist DL2 is 89 and 69 respectively.

Generally, it is tough to envision the difference between sensor sizes just by reading through a spec sheet. The picture here will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PM2 and ist DL2.

As you can see, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PM2 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Olympus E-PM2 will give you extra detail as a result of its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more recent E-PM2 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.