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Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2

Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
24
Overall
30
Pentax Optio H90 front
 
Pentax ist DL2 front
Portability
69
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2 Key Specs

Pentax H90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 153g - 101 x 65 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2010
Pentax ist DL2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 565g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Revealed January 2006
Photography Glossary

Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2 Overview

Its time to examine more in depth at the Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR and both are produced by Pentax. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the H90 (12MP) and ist DL2 (6MP) and the H90 (1/2.3") and ist DL2 (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizing.

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The H90 was revealed 4 years later than the ist DL2 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Pentax H90 being a Compact camera and the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go through a more detailed comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the H90 grades vs the ist DL2 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax H90 over the Pentax ist DL2

 H90 ist DL2 
RevealedJanuary 2010January 2006More recent by 49 months
Display sizing2.7"2.5"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution230k210kSharper display (+20k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DL2 over the Pentax H90

 ist DL2 H90 

Common features in the Pentax H90 and Pentax ist DL2

 H90 ist DL2 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and volume. The Pentax H90 offers physical measurements of 101mm x 65mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") and a weight of 153 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Pentax ist DL2 has sizing of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs).

Contrast the Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you choose at that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the H90 versus the ist DL2.

Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the H90 and ist DL2 is 93 and 69 respectively.

Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2 top view buttons comparison

Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor measurements only by going through technical specs. The graphic below will provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the H90 and ist DL2.

As you can tell, both of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The H90 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax H90 will produce extra detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics far more aggressively. The more recent H90 is going to have an edge in sensor technology.

Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2 sensor size comparison

Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax H90 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax ist DL2 as a Portrait photography camera
27
has manual focus
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
50
focusing manually
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no liveview
low resolution (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Pentax H90 Street photography highlights
Pentax ist DL2 Street photography highlights
56
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
60
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition (565 grams)
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Pentax H90 Sports photography factors
Pentax ist DL2 Sports photography factors
31
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
38
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
no liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
low resolution (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Pentax H90
Travel photography with Pentax ist DL2
57
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse function
low resolution (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
52
lighter than competition (565 grams)
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse recording
low resolution (6MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Pentax H90
Landscape photography with Pentax ist DL2
36
has manual focus
fairly wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7")
lack of manual mode
low resolution (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
missing Time Lapse function
46
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
no liveview
no image stabilization
low resolution (6 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax H90 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax ist DL2 as a Vlogging camera
28
fairly wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing mic port
22
lighter than competition (565g)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
video quality not great ( resolution)
does not have microphone port
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Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax H90 and Pentax ist DL2
 Pentax Optio H90Pentax ist DL2
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Pentax
Model type Pentax Optio H90 Pentax ist DL2
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2010-01-25 2006-01-27
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Prime -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 6 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 3008 x 2008
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 80 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 5
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.5-5.9 -
Macro focusing range 10cm -
Total lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7 inches 2.5 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 210 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.57x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE 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, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 -
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 153 gr (0.34 lbs) 565 gr (1.25 lbs)
Dimensions 101 x 65 x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 65
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 639
Other
Battery ID D-LI68 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC, Internal SD/MMC card
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $150 -