Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax ist DL2

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax ist DL2, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the SP-800 UZ (14MP) and ist DL2 (6MP) and the SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") and ist DL2 (APS-C) have different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The SP-800 UZ was brought out 4 years after the ist DL2 which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-800 UZ being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the SP-800 UZ grades vs the ist DL2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SP-800 UZ and Pentax ist DL2. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus SP-800 UZ Gallery and Pentax ist DL2 Gallery.

For those who are going to travel with your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus SP-800 UZ provides outer dimensions of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") along with a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs) while the Pentax ist DL2 has measurements of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax ist DL2 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the SP-800 UZ compared to the ist DL2.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the SP-800 UZ and ist DL2 is 69 and 69 respectively.

Usually, its difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions only by checking a spec sheet. The pic below might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the SP-800 UZ and ist DL2.

Clearly, the 2 cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SP-800 UZ because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Olympus SP-800 UZ will resolve more detail having its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs more aggressively. The younger SP-800 UZ should have an edge in sensor innovation.