Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the SZ-11 (14MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the SZ-11 (1/2.3") and ist DS2 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-11 was manufactured 6 years after the ist DS2 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the SZ-11 matches up vs the ist DS2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-11 & Pentax ist DS2. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-11 Gallery & Pentax ist DS2 Gallery.

In case you're planning to carry around your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-11 comes with outside measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax ist DS2 has proportions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Check the Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that moment. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the SZ-11 vs the ist DS2.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-11 and ist DS2 is 89 and 68 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to visualise the difference between sensor sizes merely by checking specs. The image here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-11 and ist DS2.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The SZ-11 because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Olympus SZ-11 will resolve extra detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop pics more aggressively. The more recent SZ-11 is going to have an edge in sensor innovation.