Pentax ist DS2 vs Ricoh CX4

Its time to look more in depth at the Pentax ist DS2 vs Ricoh CX4, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Pentax and Ricoh. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the ist DS2 (6MP) and CX4 (10MP) and the ist DS2 (APS-C) and CX4 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

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The ist DS2 was launched 6 years earlier than the CX4 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Ricoh CX4 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick summation of how the ist DS2 scores vs the CX4 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax ist DS2 & Ricoh CX4. The complete galleries are available at Pentax ist DS2 Gallery & Ricoh CX4 Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera often, you have to consider its weight and size. The Pentax ist DS2 has got exterior measurements of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs) while the Ricoh CX4 has specifications of 102mm x 59mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs).

Look at the Pentax ist DS2 vs Ricoh CX4 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you use at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the ist DS2 versus the CX4.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the ist DS2 and CX4 is 68 and 92 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizing merely by looking through a spec sheet. The visual below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the ist DS2 and CX4.

As you can see, each of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The ist DS2 because of its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Ricoh CX4 will result in extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The older ist DS2 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.