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Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
37
Overall
37
Olympus SZ-11 front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
33
Overall
40

Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-11
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Introduced July 2011
Pentax ist DS2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 605g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Introduced August 2005
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Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-11 over the Pentax ist DS2

 SZ-11 ist DS2 
IntroducedJuly 2011August 2005More modern by 73 months
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k210kSharper display (+250k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Olympus SZ-11

 ist DS2 SZ-11 
Focus manually Very exact focusing

Common features in the Olympus SZ-11 and Pentax ist DS2

 SZ-11 ist DS2 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

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

Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-11 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax ist DS2 Portrait photography highlights
33
megapixel count decent (14MP)
features face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
51
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
no liveview feature
MP count low (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-11 Street photography information
Pentax ist DS2 Street photography information
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (226 grams)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
60
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
lighter than others in class (605 grams)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-11 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Sports photography camera
43
amazing zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
features tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery (200 per charge)
no phase detect autofocus
39
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-11 Travel photography highlights
Pentax ist DS2 Travel photography highlights
65
lighter than others (226g)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
flash built-in
rather wide (25mm)
very long zoom (500mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
not so great battery (200 shots)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
52
lighter than others in class (605 grams)
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
MP count low (6 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-11 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Landscape photography camera
40
rather wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
not so great battery (200 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
47
has manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (6MP)
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-11 Vlogging advice
Pentax ist DS2 Vlogging advice
31
rather wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect autofocus
lighter than others (226g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic jack
22
lighter than others in class (605g)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
low quality video ( resolution)
does not have mic socket
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Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-11 and Pentax ist DS2
 Olympus SZ-11Pentax ist DS2
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus SZ-11 Pentax ist DS2
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2011-07-27 2005-08-22
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 6 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4288 x 3216 3008 x 2008
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Lowest native ISO 80 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 11
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF
Lens zoom range 25-500mm (20.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 210 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 9.30 m (@ ISO 1600) -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 -
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 grams (0.50 lbs) 605 grams (1.33 lbs)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 200 photos -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI-50B 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC card
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $253 -