Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony S950

Below is a complete overview of the Pentax ist DL2 and Sony S950, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Pentax and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the ist DL2 (6MP) and S950 (10MP) and the ist DL2 (APS-C) and S950 (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

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The ist DL2 was revealed 4 years prior to the S950 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony S950 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the ist DL2 scores versus the S950 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax ist DL2 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950. The full galleries are provided at Pentax ist DL2 Gallery and Sony S950 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera often, you should consider its weight and measurements. The Pentax ist DL2 enjoys exterior dimensions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs) and the Sony S950 has proportions of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax ist DL2 and Sony S950 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the ist DL2 versus the S950.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ist DL2 and S950 is 69 and 94 respectively.

Normally, its difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements only by reviewing technical specs. The graphic below might provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ist DL2 and S950.

As you have seen, each of these cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ist DL2 with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony S950 will offer greater detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots far more aggressively. The older ist DL2 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.