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Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax ist DS2

Portability
96
Imaging
40
Features
29
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 front
 
Pentax ist DS2 front
Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax ist DS2 Key Specs

Panasonic SZ3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 126g - 95 x 56 x 22mm
  • Revealed January 2013
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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Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax ist DS2 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Panasonic SZ3 and Pentax ist DS2, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the SZ3 (16MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the SZ3 (1/2.3") and ist DS2 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The SZ3 was manufactured 7 years after the ist DS2 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving into a complete comparison, here is a concise overview of how the SZ3 matches up against the ist DS2 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ3 over the Pentax ist DS2

 SZ3 ist DS2 
RevealedJanuary 2013August 2005Newer by 90 months
Screen dimensions2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution230k210kSharper screen (+20k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Panasonic SZ3

 ist DS2 SZ3 
Focus manually More accurate focusing

Common features in the Panasonic SZ3 and Pentax ist DS2

 SZ3 ist DS2 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax ist DS2 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic SZ3 has got exterior measurements of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Pentax ist DS2 has sizing of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic SZ3 and Pentax ist DS2 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you use at that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the SZ3 versus the ist DS2.

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax ist DS2 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ3 and ist DS2 is 96 and 68 respectively.

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax ist DS2 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very tough to envision the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing specs. The picture below might provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ3 and ist DS2.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The SZ3 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Panasonic SZ3 will offer you greater detail due to its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The fresher SZ3 will have an edge in sensor technology.

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax ist DS2 sensor size comparison

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax ist DS2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic SZ3 Portrait photography info
Pentax ist DS2 Portrait photography info
30
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
50
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
no liveview feature
low resolution (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Panasonic SZ3 Street photography advice
Pentax ist DS2 Street photography advice
64
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (126g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
60
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition (605 grams)
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic SZ3 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Sports photography camera
41
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
38
decent sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
max fps low (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
low resolution (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic SZ3 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Travel photography camera
71
lighter than competitors in class (126g)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
52
lighter than competition (605g)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse recording
low resolution (6 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic SZ3 Landscape photography advice
Pentax ist DS2 Landscape photography advice
39
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
manual focus not available
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
does not have Time Lapse recording
46
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
no liveview feature
no image stabilization
low resolution (6 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic SZ3 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax ist DS2 as a Vlogging camera
31
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (126 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external mic socket
22
lighter than competition (605g)
does not have a selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
low res video ( pixels)
lack of microphone socket
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Panasonic SZ3 vs Pentax ist DS2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic SZ3 and Pentax ist DS2
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3Pentax ist DS2
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 Pentax ist DS2
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2013-01-07 2005-08-22
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 6 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 3008 x 2008
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 23 11
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF
Lens zoom range 25-250mm (10.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.1-5.9 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Total lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7" 2.5"
Display resolution 230k dots 210k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 1.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.10 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 -
Video format Motion JPEG -
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 126 grams (0.28 lb) 605 grams (1.33 lb)
Physical dimensions 95 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 250 images -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/MMC card
Card slots One One
Retail cost $150 -