Nikon D780 has a
25.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 6 processor. On the other hand, Pentax ist DS2 has a
6.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CCD sensor .
Nikon D780's sensor provides 19MP more than Pentax ist DS2's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the D780 and ist DS2 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D780 and Pentax ist DS2 Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D780 has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Pentax ist DS2. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Nikon D780
or the
Pentax ist DS2 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Full frame versus APS-C),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
