Olympus 550WP vs Pentax ist DS2

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus 550WP vs Pentax ist DS2, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the 550WP (1/2.3") and ist DS2 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The 550WP was launched 3 years later than the ist DS2 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a concise summary of how the 550WP matches up vs the ist DS2 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 550WP and Pentax ist DS2. The complete galleries are available at Olympus 550WP Gallery and Pentax ist DS2 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus 550WP comes with external dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) while the Pentax ist DS2 has measurements of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Check out the Olympus 550WP vs Pentax ist DS2 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are using at the time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the 550WP vs the ist DS2.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the 550WP and ist DS2 is 94 and 68 respectively.

Generally, its tough to picture the gap in sensor sizing only by seeing specifications. The visual below may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the 550WP and ist DS2.

Plainly, the 2 cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The 550WP because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field tougher and the Olympus 550WP will show extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics much more aggressively. The more recent 550WP should have an edge with regard to sensor technology.