Olympus E-510 vs Pentax VS20

Below is a detailed comparison of the Olympus E-510 and Pentax VS20, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap among the image resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and VS20 (16MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizes.

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The E-510 was released 5 years prior to the VS20 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-510 matches up vs the VS20 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-510 and Pentax Optio VS20. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Pentax VS20 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-510 offers outside measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) and 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-510 and Pentax VS20 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the E-510 against the VS20.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-510 and VS20 is 69 and 90 respectively.

Normally, its difficult to imagine the gap in sensor measurements purely by researching technical specs. The visual below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-510 and VS20.

As you have seen, both cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-510 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh easier and the Pentax VS20 will provide you with more detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older E-510 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.