Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony HX80

Below is a thorough comparison of the Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony HX80, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Pentax and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the ist DS2 (6MP) and HX80 (18MP) and the ist DS2 (APS-C) and HX80 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The ist DS2 was revealed 11 years prior to the HX80 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX80 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a full comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the ist DS2 scores vs the HX80 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax ist DS2 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The full galleries are viewable at Pentax ist DS2 Gallery and Sony HX80 Gallery.

If you're planning to lug around your camera often, you will have to factor its weight and size. The Pentax ist DS2 has got outside dimensions 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 Sony HX80 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Examine the Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony HX80 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you use during that time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the ist DS2 vs the HX80.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ist DS2 and HX80 is 68 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to envision the difference between sensor measurements just by looking at specifications. The visual below should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the ist DS2 and HX80.

Plainly, both of those cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The ist DS2 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Sony HX80 will give greater detail because of its extra 12MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The older ist DS2 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.