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Olympus E-30 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
60
Imaging
47
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Olympus E-30
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
  • Introduced March 2009
Pentax VS20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-560mm (F3.1-4.8) lens
  • 235g - 111 x 61 x 38mm
  • Introduced January 2012
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Olympus E-30 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Pentax VS20

 E-30 VS20 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Olympus E-30

 VS20 E-30 
IntroducedJanuary 2012March 2009More recent by 34 months
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Pentax VS20

 E-30 VS20 
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Touch display Lack of Touch display

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

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

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 Portrait photography features
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography features
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
saves RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
36
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 Street photography factors
Pentax VS20 Street photography factors
72
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (235g)
fixed screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography highlights
Pentax VS20 Sports photography highlights
52
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12MP)
low battery (750 per charge)
44
amazing zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
includes tracking focus
slow frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 Travel photography information
Pentax VS20 Travel photography information
49
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
no Timelapse mode
low battery (750 per charge)
low megapixels (12MP)
68
lighter than competition in class (235g)
megapixel count good (16MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
great zoom (560mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography information
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography information
52
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
low battery (750 per charge)
no Timelapse mode
47
has manual focus
fairly wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not available
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-30
Vlogging with Pentax VS20
18
can't shoot video
30
fairly wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (235g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have microphone support
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Olympus E-30 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Pentax VS20
 Olympus E-30Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-30 Pentax Optio VS20
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2009-03-24 2012-01-25
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 11 3
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focus range - 3cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech HyperCrystal II LCD TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2500s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m 2.80 m
Flash modes Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 695 grams (1.53 lbs) 235 grams (0.52 lbs)
Dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.3 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 530 not tested
Other
Battery life 750 pictures -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLM-1 D-LI122
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Retail price $1,299 $106