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Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(Full Review)
  • 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
  • Launched November 2003
  • Replacement is Olympus E-3
Pentax VS20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-560mm (F3.1-4.8) lens
  • 235g - 111 x 61 x 38mm
  • Released January 2012
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Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Below is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20, former being a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and VS20 (16MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-1 was unveiled 9 years before the VS20 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-1 matches up vs the VS20 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Pentax VS20

 E-1 VS20 

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Olympus E-1

 VS20 E-1 
ReleasedJanuary 2012November 2003More recent by 99 months
Screen dimension3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution460k134kClearer screen (+326k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Pentax VS20

 E-1 VS20 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera often, you have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-1 provides outside dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Pentax VS20 has measurements of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") and a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the E-1 vs the VS20.

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and VS20 is 59 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is tough to envision the contrast in sensor measurements only by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph here may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-1 and VS20.

Clearly, both cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-1 using its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Pentax VS20 will result in more detail having an extra 11 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older E-1 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 Portrait photography features
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography features
46
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
megapixel count low (5MP)
36
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 Street photography advice
Pentax VS20 Street photography advice
57
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
lighter than competitors in class (735g)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (235g)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 Sports photography advice
Pentax VS20 Sports photography advice
40
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
supports phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (5MP)
44
amazing zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography features
Pentax VS20 Travel photography features
47
lighter than competitors in class (735g)
environment sealing
no Time Lapse mode
megapixel count low (5MP)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
68
lighter than competition (235 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
very long zoom (560mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
does not offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-1
Landscape photography with Pentax VS20
46
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
screen is somewhat small (1.8 inches)
doesn't have liveview
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (5MP)
no Time Lapse mode
47
focusing manually
pretty wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
no manual exposure
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 Vlogging info
Pentax VS20 Vlogging info
9
no video recording
30
pretty wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (235 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external mic socket
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Olympus E-1 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Pentax VS20
 Olympus E-1Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-1 Pentax Optio VS20
Type Pro DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2003-11-29 2012-01-25
Physical type Large SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 5 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 2560 x 1920 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 3
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 1.8" 3"
Resolution of screen 134 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2500 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 2.80 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 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 735g (1.62 lbs) 235g (0.52 lbs)
Dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery model - D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at release $1,700 $106