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Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Olympus TG-860
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 224g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Announced February 2015
  • Updated by Olympus TG-870
Pentax ist DS2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 605g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Revealed August 2005
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Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

Below, we will be analyzing the Olympus TG-860 versus Pentax ist DS2, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the TG-860 (16MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the TG-860 (1/2.3") and ist DS2 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The TG-860 was revealed 9 years after the ist DS2 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the TG-860 grades versus the ist DS2 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Pentax ist DS2

 TG-860 ist DS2 
RevealedFebruary 2015August 2005More modern by 116 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k210kClearer screen (+250k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Olympus TG-860

 ist DS2 TG-860 
Focus manually More exact focus

Common features in the Olympus TG-860 and Pentax ist DS2

 TG-860 ist DS2 
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch screen Lack of Touch screen

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera often, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-860 provides external measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) whilst 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).

See the Olympus TG-860 versus Pentax ist DS2 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using during that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the TG-860 vs the ist DS2.

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-860 and ist DS2 is 91 and 68 respectively.

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be tough to picture the difference between sensor sizes purely by looking at specifications. The image below will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-860 and ist DS2.

To sum up, each of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The TG-860 with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF tougher and the Olympus TG-860 will give more detail because of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The newer TG-860 should have a benefit in sensor technology.

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Portrait photography factors
Pentax ist DS2 Portrait photography factors
36
good resolution (16 megapixels)
has face detect focus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
50
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no liveview
sensor resolution not great (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Street photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Street photography camera
69
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
weather proof
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
60
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (605g)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Sports photography features
Pentax ist DS2 Sports photography features
49
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
has tracking focus
weather proof
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
38
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (6MP)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Travel photography camera
71
weather proof
good resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (21mm)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
52
lighter than competition in class (605 grams)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse function
sensor resolution not great (6MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Landscape photography factors
Pentax ist DS2 Landscape photography factors
48
quite wide (21mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
weather proof
focusing manually not possible
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not available
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
46
manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5")
no liveview
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (6MP)
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Vlogging details
Pentax ist DS2 Vlogging details
33
quite wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have mic socket
22
lighter than competition in class (605 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low quality video ( pxls)
no external mic jack
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Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-860 and Pentax ist DS2
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860Pentax ist DS2
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Pentax ist DS2
Category Waterproof Advanced DSLR
Announced 2015-02-06 2005-08-22
Body design Ultracompact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 6 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 3008 x 2008
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 125 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 11
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.5 inches
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 210 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) -
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 -
Video format H.264 -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS Yes None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 224g (0.49 lbs) 605g (1.33 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 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 300 pictures -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID Li-50B 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/MMC card
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $279 -