Panasonic XS1 vs Pentax ist DS2

The following is a extended review of the Panasonic XS1 vs Pentax ist DS2, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There is a huge difference among the resolutions of the XS1 (16MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the XS1 (1/2.3") and ist DS2 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The XS1 was announced 7 years after the ist DS2 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic XS1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a simple view of how the XS1 scores vs the ist DS2 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 and Pentax ist DS2. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic XS1 Gallery and Pentax ist DS2 Gallery.

If you are aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic XS1 comes with physical dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") having a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs) while the Pentax ist DS2 has measurements of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic XS1 vs Pentax ist DS2 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the XS1 and the ist DS2.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the XS1 and ist DS2 is 97 and 68 respectively.

Usually, it can be hard to see the contrast in sensor dimensions just by going through technical specs. The picture underneath might provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the XS1 and ist DS2.

As you can tell, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The XS1 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Panasonic XS1 will show greater detail with its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The newer XS1 will have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.