Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony A37
68 Imaging
43 Features
33 Overall
39
67 Imaging
56 Features
65 Overall
59
Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony A37 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 6MP - APS-C Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 200 - 3200
- Pentax KAF Mount
- 605g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
- Introduced August 2005
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 2.6" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
- Launched May 2012
- Replaced the Sony A35
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony A37 Overview
Following is a thorough overview of the Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony A37, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Pentax and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the ist DS2 (6MP) and A37 (16MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor sizing (APS-C).
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideThe ist DS2 was unveiled 7 years earlier than the A37 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Pentax ist DS2 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple overview of how the ist DS2 matches up against the A37 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
Photography Glossary Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony A37 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax ist DS2 & Sony SLT-A37. The full galleries are viewable at Pentax ist DS2 Gallery & Sony A37 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax ist DS2 over the Sony A37
| ist DS2 | A37 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Pentax ist DS2
| A37 | ist DS2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | May 2012 | August 2005 | More modern by 81 months | |
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
| Screen dimension | 2.6" | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.1") | |
| Screen resolution | 230k | 210k | Sharper screen (+20k dot) |
Common features in the Pentax ist DS2 and Sony A37
| ist DS2 | A37 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus | Very exact focus | |||
| Selfie screen | No selfie screen | |||
| Touch screen | No Touch screen |
Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison
In case you're intending to carry around your camera, you will need to consider its weight and measurements. The Pentax ist DS2 features outer 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 A37 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).
Check out the Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony A37 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the ist DS2 and the A37.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the ist DS2 and A37 is 68 and 67 respectively.
Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it is very difficult to see the difference in sensor sizes simply by viewing technical specs. The pic below will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the ist DS2 and A37.
As you have seen, both of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You can count on the Sony A37 to result in more detail having an extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged ist DS2 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.
Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder
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Pentax ist DS2 vs Sony A37 Specifications
| Pentax ist DS2 | Sony SLT-A37 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Pentax | Sony |
| Model | Pentax ist DS2 | Sony SLT-A37 |
| Category | Advanced DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Introduced | 2005-08-22 | 2012-05-16 |
| Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
| Sensor size | APS-C | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 23.5 x 15.7mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor area | 369.0mm² | 366.6mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 6MP | 16MP |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Full resolution | 3008 x 2008 | 4912 x 3264 |
| Max native ISO | 3200 | 25600 |
| Lowest native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW photos | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focus | ||
| AF touch | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| Single AF | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detection AF | ||
| Contract detection AF | ||
| Phase detection AF | ||
| Number of focus points | 11 | 15 |
| Cross focus points | - | 3 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | Pentax KAF | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Total lenses | 151 | 143 |
| Crop factor | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of screen | Fixed Type | Tilting |
| Screen sizing | 2.5 inches | 2.6 inches |
| Resolution of screen | 210k dots | 230k dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Optical | Electronic |
| Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,440k dots |
| Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | 100 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.64x | 0.73x |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
| Continuous shooting rate | 3.0 frames per sec | 6.0 frames per sec |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Change WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash range | - | 12.00 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| Hot shoe | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Highest flash synchronize | - | 1/160 seconds |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
| Max video resolution | - | 1920x1080 |
| Video format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
| Mic port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | No | Eye-Fi Connected |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment sealing | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 605 gr (1.33 lbs) | 506 gr (1.12 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") | 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around score | not tested | 75 |
| DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 23.3 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 12.9 |
| DXO Low light score | not tested | 799 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | - | 500 images |
| Battery type | - | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | 4 x AA | NP-FW50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage type | SD/MMC card | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Card slots | 1 | 1 |
| Cost at launch | - | $522 |