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Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony A500

Portability
69
Imaging
45
Features
33
Overall
40
Pentax ist DL2 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Pentax ist DL2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 565g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Announced January 2006
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced August 2009
  • Successor is Sony A560
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Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony A500 Overview

Lets look much closer at the Pentax ist DL2 versus Sony A500, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Pentax and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the ist DL2 (6MP) and A500 (12MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor dimensions (APS-C).

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The ist DL2 was released 4 years prior to the A500 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the ist DL2 scores versus the A500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Pentax ist DL2 over the Sony A500

 ist DL2 A500 

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Pentax ist DL2

 A500 ist DL2 
IntroducedAugust 2009January 2006Newer by 43 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution230k210kSharper display (+20k dot)

Common features in the Pentax ist DL2 and Sony A500

 ist DL2 A500 
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch display Neither includes Touch display

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Pentax ist DL2 features outer dimensions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs) while the Sony A500 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Pentax ist DL2 versus Sony A500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the ist DL2 versus the A500.

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ist DL2 and A500 is 69 and 63 respectively.

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions merely by going through technical specs. The picture here may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the ist DL2 and A500.

As you have seen, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You can anticipate the Sony A500 to produce extra detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics more aggressively. The more aged ist DL2 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax ist DL2 Portrait photography factors
Sony A500 Portrait photography factors
51
manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
sensor resolution low (6 megapixels)
63
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Pentax ist DL2 as a Street photography camera
Sony A500 as a Street photography camera
60
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
lighter than average (565 grams)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Pentax ist DL2 Sports photography features
Sony A500 Sports photography features
39
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (6MP)
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps low (5.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (520 shots)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Pentax ist DL2 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than average (565g)
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution low (6MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
43
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (520 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax ist DL2 Landscape photography features
Sony A500 Landscape photography features
47
manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
small screen (2.5 inches)
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (6MP)
does not have Time Lapse mode
60
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (520 per charge)
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax ist DL2 Vlogging features
Sony A500 Vlogging features
22
lighter than average (565 grams)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
low quality video ( pixels)
does not have external mic jack
9
can't record video
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Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax ist DL2 and Sony A500
 Pentax ist DL2Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Make Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax ist DL2 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2006-01-27 2009-08-27
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.7mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 369.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 6MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3008 x 2008 4272 x 2848
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 5 9
Lens
Lens support Pentax KAF Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 151 143
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 210k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.57x 0.53x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 5.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Highest video resolution - None
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless No None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 565 gr (1.25 lb) 630 gr (1.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 65 64
DXO Color Depth rating 22.9 21.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.1 11.6
DXO Low light rating 639 772
Other
Battery life - 520 photos
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID 4 x AA NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/MMC card SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Launch cost - $638