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Olympus E-520 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Olympus E-520
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 552g - 136 x 92 x 68mm
  • Announced August 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-510
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-520 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-520 and Pentax VS20, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and VS20 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") possess different sensor dimensions.

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The E-520 was announced 4 years before the VS20 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-520 matches up versus the VS20 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Pentax VS20

 E-520 VS20 

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Olympus E-520

 VS20 E-520 
ReleasedJanuary 2012August 2008Fresher by 41 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Pentax VS20

 E-520 VS20 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-520 enjoys exterior measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Pentax VS20 has dimensions of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") having a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-520 and Pentax VS20 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-520 compared to the VS20.

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and VS20 is 68 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to picture the gap between sensor sizing merely by going over specs. The photograph here should provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and VS20.

All in all, both of those cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-520 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh easier and the Pentax VS20 will offer you greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 Portrait photography information
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography information
59
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
low MP (10MP)
36
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Street photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Street photography camera
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no moving screen
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (235 grams)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography highlights
Pentax VS20 Sports photography highlights
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great battery life (650 per charge)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
low MP (10 megapixels)
44
amazing zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-520
Travel photography with Pentax VS20
52
great battery life (650 per charge)
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse mode
low MP (10MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
68
lighter than others (235g)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
great reach (560mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
does not have selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Landscape photography camera
58
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
great battery life (650 per charge)
tiny screen (2.7")
low MP (10 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse mode
47
manual focus
really wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
lack of manual mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax VS20 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't shoot video
30
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (235g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
does not have selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone port
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Olympus E-520 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Pentax VS20
 Olympus E-520Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-520 Pentax Optio VS20
Type Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2008-08-20 2012-01-25
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
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 10MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 3 3
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2500s
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 2.80 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180s -
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 jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 552g (1.22 lbs) 235g (0.52 lbs)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 548 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 photographs -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID - D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $400 $106