Pentax ist DS2

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    Highlights

    • 6 MP APS-C CCD Sensor
    • 200 - 3,200 Native ISO
    • 11 Focus Points
    • 2.5" 210k dot Fixed Screen
    • Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder
    • 2.8 fps Continuous Shooting
    • Built-in Flash
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    Disclosure: We earn money from the affiliate links to products associated with content in this article.

    Overview

    Pentax ist DS2 was announced in 2005 and is an APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) DSLR camera with 6 Megapixel CCD sensor. Its native ISO ranges from 200 to 3,200. The camera has a Fixed 2.5" screen with 210k dot resolution and built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder.

    Table of Contents
    1. Overview
    2. Pros and Cons
    3. Screen and Viewfinder
    4. Sensor
    5. Photography Features
    6. Connectivity, Battery and Storage
    7. Other Features
    8. Physical Parameters
    9. For Different Types of Photography
    10. Evaluation
    11. Specifications  

    Pros and Cons

    In this section we present pros and cons of Pentax ist DS2.

    PROS

    •   Built-in Flash

    CONS

    •   No Video Capture
    •   Low Resolution Sensor - 6 Megapixel
    •   200 Lowest Native ISO
    •   3,200 Highest Native ISO
    •   Timelapse Recording
    •   11 Focus Points
    •   No Face Detection
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Fixed Screen
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 210k dot
    •   No Live View
    •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 2.8 fps
    •   Low USB Speed
    •   No HDMI Output
    •   No Microphone Input
    •   No Headphone Output
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
    •   No Built-In Bluetooth
    •   No Environmental Sealing

    And here are some specifications which fall into average criteria and are neither in PROs nor in CONs category:

    AVERAGE

    •   Screen Size - 2.5"
    •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
    •   Weight - 605 g (1.33 lb / 21.34 oz)

    Screen and Viewfinder

    Fixed screen

    Pentax ist DS2 has a 2.5" Fixed screen with 210k dot resolution which is quite low by today's standards.


    Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder

    Camera has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 95% coverage and 0.95x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

    Sensor

    Pentax ist DS2 features a 6 megapixel APS-C CCD sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.7 mm and a total area of 369 mm2. Its native ISO range is 200 - 3,200.


    Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how Pentax ist DS2's APS-C sensor compares with other types of sensors:

    Sensor size chart
    Sensor Dimensions Area Aspect Ratio Crop Factor
    Image cannot be displayedMedium Format44 x 33 mm1452 mm24:30.79x
    Image cannot be displayedFull Frame36 x 24 mm864 mm23:21x
    Image cannot be displayedAPS-H27 x 18 mm486 mm23:21.3x
    Image cannot be displayedAPS-C23.5 x 15.7 mm369 mm23:21.5x
    Image cannot be displayedAPS-C (Canon)22.3 x 14.9 mm332.3 mm23:21.6x
    Image cannot be displayedMicro Four Thirds17.4 x 13 mm226.2 mm24:32x
    Image cannot be displayed1-inch13.2 x 8.8 mm116.2 mm23:22.7x
    Image cannot be displayed1/1.7-inch7.44 x 5.58 mm41.5 mm24:34.7x
    Image cannot be displayed1/2.3-inch6.17 x 4.55 mm28.1 mm24:35.6x

    Photography Features

    Camera can take pictures up to 3008 x 2008 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolutions like 2400 x 1600, 1536 x 1024 with 3:2 aspect ratios.


    Lens Mount

    Pentax ist DS2 has Pentax KAF lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor its crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is 1.5x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.


    No In-Body Image Stabilization

    The camera does not have in-body image stabilization (IBIS) so it needs lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction.

    Check out the cameras which are frequently compared to Pentax ist DS2.

    Nikon Z6
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    Full Frame

    24.5 MP

    Canon Rebel XSi
    Image cannot be found

    APS-C

    12.2 MP

    Sony a6300
    Image cannot be found

    APS-C

    24.2 MP

    Sony a6400
    Image cannot be found

    APS-C

    24.2 MP

    Nikon 1 J1
    Image cannot be found

    1-inch

    10.1 MP

    Sony DSLR-A450
    Image cannot be found

    APS-C

    14.2 MP

    Sony a7R IV
    Image cannot be found

    Full Frame

    61.0 MP

    Nikon D2X
    Image cannot be found

    APS-C

    12.4 MP

    Nikon 1 AW1
    Image cannot be found

    1-inch

    14.2 MP

    Sony a9 II
    Image cannot be found

    Full Frame

    24.2 MP

    Canon R5 C
    Image cannot be found

    Full Frame

    45.0 MP

    Fujifilm S5 Pro
    Image cannot be found

    APS-C

    6 MP

    Connectivity, Battery and Storage

    USB Input

    Pentax ist DS2 has a USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) input for data transfer.


    Battery

    Pentax ist DS2 comes with 4 x AA battery pack.


    External Storage Slots

    The camera has a single SD/SDHC card slot.

    Other Features

    Shutter

    Pentax ist DS2's shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec. Camera can shoot continuously up to 2.8 fps.


    Flash

    Pentax ist DS2 has a built-in flash and also accepts external flash.

    Physical Parameters

    Pentax ist DS2 has dimensions of 125 x 93 x 66 mm (4.92 x 3.66 x 2.6"). It weighs 605 g (1.33 lb / 21.34 oz) which is neither heavy nor lightweight.

    125 mm (4.92")

    93 mm (3.66")

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    93 mm (3.66")

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    Pentax ist DS2 dimensions

    Pentax ist DS2 for Different Types of Photography

    We give scores to the camera for different type of photography based on its features and specifications. Let us see how Pentax ist DS2 is suitable for six different types of photography.


    Landscape Photography

    AVERAGE
    56

    Pentax ist DS2 gets a score of 56 and is AVERAGE choice for Landscape photography.

    •   Low Resolution Screen - 210k dot
    •   No Live View
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   No Environmental Sealing

    Sports Photography

    POOR
    49

    Pentax ist DS2 gets a score of 49 and is POOR choice for Sports photography.

    •   3,200 Highest Native ISO
    •   11 Focus Points
    •   No Face Detection
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 210k dot
    •   No Live View
    •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 2.8 fps

    Wildlife Photography

    POOR
    47

    Pentax ist DS2 gets a score of 47 and is POOR choice for Wildlife photography.

    •   3,200 Highest Native ISO
    •   11 Focus Points
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 210k dot
    •   No Live View
    •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 2.8 fps
    •   No Environmental Sealing

    Portrait Photography

    AVERAGE
    64

    Pentax ist DS2 gets a score of 64 and is AVERAGE choice for Portrait photography.

    •   11 Focus Points
    •   No Face Detection
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Screen Size - 2.5"
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 210k dot
    •   No Live View

    Street Photography

    GOOD
    75

    Pentax ist DS2 gets a score of 75 and is GOOD choice for Street photography.

    •   11 Focus Points
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Fixed Screen
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 210k dot
    •   No Live View
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   No Environmental Sealing
    •   Weight - 605 g (1.33 lb / 21.34 oz)

    Travel Photography

    GOOD
    78

    Pentax ist DS2 gets a score of 78 and is GOOD choice for Travel photography.

    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Fixed Screen
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 210k dot
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   No Environmental Sealing
    •   Weight - 605 g (1.33 lb / 21.34 oz)

    Pentax ist DS2 Evaluation

    We evaluate Pentax ist DS2 and give score of 53 out of 100. We also give separate scores for 7 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new camera is added to the database.


    OVERALL
    53

    Sensor

    AVERAGE
    59

    We give Pentax ist DS2 a score of 59 for Sensor parameters.

    •   Low Resolution Sensor - 6 Megapixel
    •   200 Lowest Native ISO
    •   3,200 Highest Native ISO

    Photo

    POOR
    52

    We give Pentax ist DS2 a score of 52 for Photo parameters.

    •   Timelapse Recording
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
    •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 2.8 fps

    Video

    BAD
    0

    We give Pentax ist DS2 a score of 0 for Video parameters.

    •   No Image Stabilization

    Focusing

    AVERAGE
    69

    We give Pentax ist DS2 a score of 69 for Focusing parameters.

    •   11 Focus Points
    •   No Face Detection

    Screen and Viewfinder

    AVERAGE
    68

    We give Pentax ist DS2 a score of 68 for Screen and Viewfinder parameters.

    •   Fixed Screen
    •   Screen Size - 2.5"
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 210k dot

    Connectivity

    POOR
    47

    We give Pentax ist DS2 a score of 47 for Connectivity parameters.

    •   Low USB Speed
    •   No HDMI Output
    •   No Microphone Input
    •   No Headphone Output
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
    •   No Built-In Bluetooth

    Battery, Storage and Physical

    POOR
    42

    We give Pentax ist DS2 a score of 42 for Battery, Storage and Physical parameters.

    •   No Environmental Sealing
    •   Weight - 605 g (1.33 lb / 21.34 oz)


    For a full specification list please go to the specifications page:

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