Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony W610

The following is a thorough comparison of the Pentax ist DS2 and Sony W610, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Pentax and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the ist DS2 (6MP) and W610 (14MP) and the ist DS2 (APS-C) and W610 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

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The ist DS2 was introduced 7 years earlier than the W610 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W610 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the ist DS2 grades versus the W610 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax ist DS2 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W610. The whole galleries are available at Pentax ist DS2 Gallery & Sony W610 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Pentax ist DS2 comes with external measurements of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 605 grams (1.33 lbs) and the Sony W610 has measurements of 93mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.0" x 0.7") having a weight of 113 grams (0.25 lbs).

Examine the Pentax ist DS2 and Sony W610 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select during that time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the ist DS2 compared to the W610.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the ist DS2 and W610 is 68 and 97 respectively.

In many cases, it can be hard to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading technical specs. The picture below might give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the ist DS2 and W610.

As you have seen, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The ist DS2 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Sony W610 will offer you more detail using its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged ist DS2 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.