Olympus E-30 vs Pentax VS20

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-30 versus Pentax VS20, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and VS20 (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-30 was introduced 3 years prior to the VS20 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-30 grades vs the VS20 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-30 and Pentax Optio VS20. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-30 Gallery and Pentax VS20 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera often, you should consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-30 features outside measurements of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") and a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) while the Pentax VS20 has sizing of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

See the Olympus E-30 versus Pentax VS20 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are using during that time. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-30 and the VS20.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-30 and VS20 is 60 and 90 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to envision the contrast in sensor measurements merely by going through technical specs. The visual underneath will offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-30 and VS20.

As you can tell, each of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-30 having a larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Pentax VS20 will produce extra detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will help you crop pics far more aggressively. The older E-30 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.