Olympus XZ-10 vs Pentax ist DS2

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus XZ-10 versus Pentax ist DS2, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the XZ-10 (12MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the XZ-10 (1/2.3") and ist DS2 (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

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The XZ-10 was announced 7 years after the ist DS2 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the XZ-10 scores vs the ist DS2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus XZ-10 & Pentax ist DS2. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-10 Gallery & Pentax ist DS2 Gallery.

If you're aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus XZ-10 has physical dimensions of 102mm x 61mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Pentax ist DS2 has proportions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus XZ-10 versus Pentax ist DS2 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at that moment. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the XZ-10 compared to the ist DS2.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-10 and ist DS2 is 91 and 68 respectively.

Quite often, it can be difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing specifications. The pic underneath should offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-10 and ist DS2.

To sum up, the 2 cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-10 using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Olympus XZ-10 will deliver extra detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The newer XZ-10 provides an advantage in sensor technology.