Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony A580

Following is a comprehensive overview of the Pentax ist DS2 versus Sony A580, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Pentax and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the ist DS2 (6MP) and A580 (16MP) but they come with the exact same sensor dimensions (APS-C).

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The ist DS2 was released 6 years earlier than the A580 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a thorough comparison, below is a quick summary of how the ist DS2 grades against the A580 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax ist DS2 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The complete galleries are available at Pentax ist DS2 Gallery & Sony A580 Gallery.

When you are planning to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and size. The Pentax ist DS2 features outside dimensions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs) whilst the Sony A580 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Look at the Pentax ist DS2 versus Sony A580 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the ist DS2 versus the A580.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ist DS2 and A580 is 68 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it's tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizes only by researching technical specs. The pic below may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the ist DS2 and A580.

As you can tell, both cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You can count on the Sony A580 to render more detail as a result of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged ist DS2 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.