Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Pentax ist DS2

On this page, we are evaluating the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Pentax ist DS2, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") and ist DS2 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The SZ-31MR iHS was launched 6 years after the ist DS2 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the SZ-31MR iHS matches up versus the ist DS2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS & Pentax ist DS2. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery & Pentax ist DS2 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS features external measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Pentax ist DS2 has dimensions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Pentax ist DS2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS against the ist DS2.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-31MR iHS and ist DS2 is 89 and 68 respectively.

Usually, it is difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions only by reading through specifications. The pic underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-31MR iHS and ist DS2.

To sum up, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-31MR iHS because of its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS will resolve more detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more recent SZ-31MR iHS will have an advantage in sensor technology.