Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5
69 Imaging
44 Features
33 Overall
39


89 Imaging
53 Features
58 Overall
55
Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs
(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
(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

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).

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.

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax ist DL2 and Sony Alpha NEX-5. The entire galleries are available at Pentax ist DL2 Gallery and Sony NEX-5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax ist DL2 over the Sony NEX-5
ist DL2 | NEX-5 |
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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Pentax ist DL2
NEX-5 | ist DL2 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | June 2010 | ![]() | January 2006 | More recent by 53 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") |
Screen resolution | 920k | ![]() | 210k | Clearer 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications
Pentax ist DL2 | Sony 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 |