Olympus 7030 vs Pentax ist DL2

Below is a detailed comparison of the Olympus 7030 vs Pentax ist DL2, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the 7030 (14MP) and ist DL2 (6MP) and the 7030 (1/2.3") and ist DL2 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizes.

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The 7030 was launched 4 years later than the ist DL2 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 7030 being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the 7030 matches up against the ist DL2 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus 7030 & Pentax ist DL2. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus 7030 Gallery & Pentax ist DL2 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus 7030 enjoys physical dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") with a weight of 140 grams (0.31 lbs) whilst the Pentax ist DL2 has specifications of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs).

See the Olympus 7030 vs Pentax ist DL2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the 7030 compared to the ist DL2.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 7030 and ist DL2 is 95 and 69 respectively.

More often than not, it can be hard to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements just by viewing a spec sheet. The visual here might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the 7030 and ist DL2.

Clearly, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The 7030 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh trickier and the Olympus 7030 will render more detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The fresher 7030 provides an advantage in sensor innovation.