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Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
69
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39
Pentax ist DL2 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
53
Features
58
Overall
55

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

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
  • Announced January 2006
Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Successor is Sony NEX-5N
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Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

Lets take a more detailed look at the Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Pentax and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the ist DL2 (6MP) and NEX-5 (14MP) but they feature the exact same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The ist DL2 was brought out 5 years before the NEX-5 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple summation of how the ist DL2 scores vs the NEX-5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax ist DL2 over the Sony NEX-5

 ist DL2 NEX-5 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Pentax ist DL2

 NEX-5 ist DL2 
RevealedJune 2010January 2006More recent by 53 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution920k210kClearer screen (+710k dot)

Common features in the Pentax ist DL2 and Sony NEX-5

 ist DL2 NEX-5 
Focus manually More exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Pentax ist DL2 provides physical measurements of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5 has measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the ist DL2 versus the NEX-5.

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ist DL2 and NEX-5 is 69 and 89 respectively.

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 top view buttons comparison

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be difficult to visualize the difference between sensor measurements simply by looking at specifications. The photograph underneath may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the ist DL2 and NEX-5.

To sum up, the two cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different resolution. You should expect the Sony NEX-5 to give you greater detail having its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older ist DL2 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 sensor size comparison

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax ist DL2 Portrait photography features
Sony NEX-5 Portrait photography features
50
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
does not have liveview
resolution not great (6 megapixels)
71
manual focus
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Pentax ist DL2 Street photography info
Sony NEX-5 Street photography info
60
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (565g)
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
76
tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Pentax ist DL2 Sports photography features
Sony NEX-5 Sports photography features
38
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (6MP)
51
megapixel count good (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
no image stabilization
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax ist DL2 Travel photography features
Sony NEX-5 Travel photography features
52
lighter than competition in class (565g)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
resolution not great (6MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
59
megapixel count good (14MP)
missing Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax ist DL2 Landscape photography features
Sony NEX-5 Landscape photography features
46
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5")
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (6MP)
does not have Timelapse mode
67
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
megapixel count good (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
no image stabilization
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Pentax ist DL2
Vlogging with Sony NEX-5
22
lighter than competition in class (565g)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low ( resolution)
does not have microphone port
28
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
missing external mic jack
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Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax ist DL2 and Sony NEX-5
 Pentax ist DL2Sony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Company Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax ist DL2 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2006-01-27 2010-06-07
Body design Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.7mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 369.0mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 6MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3008 x 2008 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 5 25
Lens
Lens mount type Pentax KAF Sony E
Number of lenses 151 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.5 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 210k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.57x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution - 1920x1080
Video format - AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 565g (1.25 pounds) 287g (0.63 pounds)
Dimensions 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 65 69
DXO Color Depth rating 22.9 22.2
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.1 12.2
DXO Low light rating 639 796
Other
Battery life - 330 pictures
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID 4 x AA NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/MMC card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price - $599