Panasonic FX78 vs Pentax ist DL2

Let's look closer at the Panasonic FX78 and Pentax ist DL2, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the FX78 (12MP) and ist DL2 (6MP) and the FX78 (1/2.3") and ist DL2 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The FX78 was announced 5 years later than the ist DL2 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FX78 being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summary of how the FX78 matches up vs the ist DL2 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 & Pentax ist DL2. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic FX78 Gallery & Pentax ist DL2 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic FX78 offers external dimensions of 100mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) while the Pentax ist DL2 has sizing of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs).

See the Panasonic FX78 and Pentax ist DL2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the FX78 vs the ist DL2.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FX78 and ist DL2 is 95 and 69 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to visualise the gap between sensor measurements purely by reviewing technical specs. The photograph here will give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the FX78 and ist DL2.

As you have seen, the two cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FX78 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Panasonic FX78 will offer you greater detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The more modern FX78 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.