Panasonic ZS50 vs Pentax ist DS2

Below, we are looking at the Panasonic ZS50 versus Pentax ist DS2, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the ZS50 (12MP) and ist DS2 (6MP) and the ZS50 (1/2.3") and ist DS2 (APS-C) come with different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS50 was revealed 9 years after the ist DS2 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving in to a full comparison, below is a concise summary of how the ZS50 matches up vs the ist DS2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 & Pentax ist DS2. The full galleries are available at Panasonic ZS50 Gallery & Pentax ist DS2 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS50 offers physical measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") having a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs) whilst the Pentax ist DS2 has sizing of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS50 versus Pentax ist DS2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the ZS50 vs the ist DS2.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS50 and ist DS2 is 90 and 68 respectively.

More often than not, its tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizes simply by checking out technical specs. The picture here may give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS50 and ist DS2.

As you can tell, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The ZS50 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Panasonic ZS50 will provide greater detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more recent ZS50 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.