Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony RX100 II

Here is a complete assessment of the Pentax ist DL2 and Sony RX100 II, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Pentax and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the ist DL2 (6MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the ist DL2 (APS-C) and RX100 II (1") boast different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The ist DL2 was announced 8 years prior to the RX100 II and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the ist DL2 scores against the RX100 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax ist DL2 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II. The whole galleries are provided at Pentax ist DL2 Gallery and Sony RX100 II Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Pentax ist DL2 provides physical dimensions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs) while the Sony RX100 II has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

Compare the Pentax ist DL2 and Sony RX100 II in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at that time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the ist DL2 compared to the RX100 II.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ist DL2 and RX100 II is 69 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it can be hard to picture the gap in sensor sizing purely by seeing specs. The visual here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the ist DL2 and RX100 II.

All in all, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The ist DL2 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX100 II will produce greater detail with its extra 14MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older ist DL2 will be behind in sensor innovation.