Pentax ist DL2 vs Sony S980

Let's look a little more in depth at the Pentax ist DL2 and Sony S980, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Pentax and Sony. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the ist DL2 (6MP) and S980 (12MP) and the ist DL2 (APS-C) and S980 (1/2.3") posses different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The ist DL2 was unveiled 4 years before the S980 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a concise summation of how the ist DL2 grades vs the S980 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax ist DL2 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The full galleries are provided at Pentax ist DL2 Gallery and Sony S980 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry around your camera, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Pentax ist DL2 enjoys physical dimensions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs) while the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check out the Pentax ist DL2 and Sony S980 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the ist DL2 vs the S980.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the ist DL2 and S980 is 69 and 94 respectively.

Often, it is very hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes simply by seeing specs. The pic here should offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the ist DL2 and S980.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The ist DL2 with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony S980 will show extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more aged ist DL2 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.