Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, We are going to illustrate Sony A7S and Pentax ist DS2 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Pentax ist DS2 has external dimensions of 125 x 93 x 66 mm (4.92 x 3.66 x 2.6″) and weighs 605 g (1.33 lb / 21.34 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Pentax ist DS2. Pentax ist DS2 is 2mm narrower and 1mm shorter than Sony A7S but it is also 18mm thicker.
![Sony A7S vs Pentax ist DS2 Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Pentax ist DS2 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Sony A7S is significantly lighter (116g ) than the Pentax ist DS2 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A7S has a Full frame sensor and Pentax ist DS2 has a smaller APS-C sensor, Pentax ist DS2's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.
Weight Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Thickness Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Weather Sealing
With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over ist DS2 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Sony A7S's 3 LCD screen is slightly larger than Pentax ist DS2's 2.5" screen.
In addition to the size advantage, Sony A7S LCD screen also has a
Tilting feature where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Pentax ist DS2 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Pentax ist DS2 has a 6.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CCD sensor .
Sony A7S's sensor provides 6MP 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 A7S and ist DS2 sensor size comparison.
![Sony A7S vs Pentax ist DS2 Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Pentax ist DS2 Cameras
As seen above, Sony A7S 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.
Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Pentax ist DS2 has an advantage over Sony A7S There are 151 lenses for Pentax ist DS2's Pentax KAF mount, on the other hand there are only 122 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E lens mount.
Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 30 lenses for Sony E mount and 13 lenses for Pentax KAF mount with IS.
| Lens Type |
# of Sony A7S Lenses |
# of Pentax ist DS2 Lenses |
| Standard Zoom |
11 (8 Full Frame) |
22 |
| Standard Prime |
18 (9 Full Frame) |
20 |
| Wideangle Zoom |
7 (6 Full Frame) |
12 |
| Wideangle Prime |
39 (23 Full Frame) |
24 |
| Telephoto Zoom |
9 (7 Full Frame) |
21 |
| Telephoto Prime |
18 (14 Full Frame) |
12 |
| SuperZoom |
8 (1 Full Frame) |
15 |
| Wideangle Fisheye Prime |
2 (0 Full Frame) |
3 |
| Macro Prime |
8 (7 Full Frame) |
14 |
| Perspective Control Prime |
2 (2 Full Frame) |
8 |
| Telephoto Mirror Prime |
n/a |
n/a |
| TOTAL |
122 (77 Full Frame) |
151 |
Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7S and Pentax ist DS2 to see how these lenses compares:
Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Pentax ist DS2 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.
Sony A7S for Portrait Photography
Pentax ist DS2 for Portrait Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 6.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Sony A7S for Street Photography
Pentax ist DS2 for Street Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details
Sony A7S for Sports Photography
Pentax ist DS2 for Sports Photography
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
11 Focus Points
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Sony A7S for Daily Photography
Pentax ist DS2 for Daily Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Large Body
605g
Body Thickness 66mm
Read the details
Sony A7S for Landscape Photography
Pentax ist DS2 for Landscape Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 6.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details
You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Sony A7S and Pentax ist DS2, below you can find their scores in five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.
Here is a summary of how Sony A7S and Pentax ist DS2 scores compare:
Sony A7S
Ranked
#38 out of 85 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#70 out of 1218 in all Cameras
Pentax ist DS2
Ranked
#90 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked
#828 out of 1218 in all Cameras
Sony A7S is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Pentax ist DS2 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money
| General |
Sony Alpha A7S |
Pentax ist DS2 |
| Brand |
Sony |
Pentax |
| Announced |
2014-04-06 |
2005-08-22 |
| Body Type |
SLR-style mirrorless |
Mid-size SLR |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CMOS |
CCD |
| Size |
Full frame |
APS-C |
| Dimensions |
35.8 x 23.9 mm |
23.5 x 15.7 mm |
| Area |
855.62mm2 |
368.95mm2 |
| Megapixels |
12 megapixels |
6 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4240 x 2832 |
3008 x 2008 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
409,600 ISO |
3,200 ISO |
| Min Native Light sensitivity |
100 ISO |
200 ISO |
| RAW Support |
|
|
Autofocus |
|
|
| AF Touch |
|
|
| AF Continuous |
|
|
| AF Single |
|
|
| AF Tracking |
|
|
| AF Selective |
|
|
| AF Center |
|
|
| AF Multi Area |
|
|
| AF Live View |
|
|
| AF Face Detection |
|
|
| AF Contrast Detection |
|
|
| AF Phase Detection |
|
|
| Number of Focus Points |
25 |
11 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
Sony E |
Pentax KAF |
| Number of Available Lenses |
122 |
151 |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Tilting |
Fixed type |
| Size |
3 |
2.5" |
| Resolution |
1,230k dots |
210k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Optical |
| Viewfinder Resolution |
2,359k dots |
no electronic viewfinder |
| Viewfinder Coverage |
100% |
95% |
| Viewfinder Magnification |
0.71x |
0.64x |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/8000s |
1/4000s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
No |
No |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
5.0 fps |
3.0 fps |
| Multi-Segment |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Spot |
|
|
| Partial |
|
|
| AF-Area |
|
|
| Center Weighted |
|
|
| AE Bracketing |
|
|
| WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
| Max Video Resolution |
3840 x 2160 |
n/a |
| Video Formats |
MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC |
n/a |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Built-In |
No |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
489g |
605g |
| Dimensions |
127 x 94 x 48mm |
125 x 93 x 66mm |
| Battery Life |
360 shots |
n/a |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
With Downloadable App |
|
| GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
87 |
not tested |
| DxO Color Depth |
23.9 |
not tested |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
13.2 |
not tested |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
3702 |
not tested |
|
Report a correction |
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