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Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2

Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
63
Overall
56
Olympus PEN E-PM2 front
 
Pentax ist DL2 front
Portability
69
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Released May 2013
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PM1
Pentax ist DL2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 565g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Introduced January 2006
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM2 over the Pentax ist DL2

 E-PM2 ist DL2 
IntroducedMay 2013January 2006More modern by 90 months
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k210kClearer display (+250k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DL2 over the Olympus E-PM2

 ist DL2 E-PM2 

Common features in the Olympus E-PM2 and Pentax ist DL2

 E-PM2 ist DL2 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2 size comparison

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

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Portrait photography info
Pentax ist DL2 Portrait photography info
71
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
50
manual focus
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview
MP count low (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 as a Street photography camera
Pentax ist DL2 as a Street photography camera
79
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
includes touch to focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
no moving screen
60
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (565 grams)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PM2
Sports photography with Pentax ist DL2
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
38
sensor size is good (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
no liveview
max frames per second very slow (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (6MP)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Travel photography features
Pentax ist DL2 Travel photography features
66
includes touch to focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
52
lighter than competitors in class (565g)
flash built-in
no Time Lapse mode
MP count low (6 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Landscape photography factors
Pentax ist DL2 Landscape photography factors
74
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse recording
46
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
no liveview
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (6 megapixels)
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Vlogging information
Pentax ist DL2 Vlogging information
36
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
doesn't have microphone port
22
lighter than competitors in class (565 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution ( pxls)
no mic support
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax ist DL2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM2 and Pentax ist DL2
 Olympus PEN E-PM2Pentax ist DL2
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PM2 Pentax ist DL2
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Released 2013-05-21 2006-01-27
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
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 16MP 6MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 3008 x 2008
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 35 5
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Total lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of display 460k dots 210k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.57x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 -
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 269 gr (0.59 lb) 565 gr (1.25 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 65
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 22.9
DXO Dynamic range score 12.2 11.1
DXO Low light score 932 639
Other
Battery life 360 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 recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC card
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $448 -