Pentax H90 vs Pentax ist DL2

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.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax Optio H90 and Pentax ist DL2. The full galleries are available at Pentax H90 Gallery and Pentax ist DL2 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.