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Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax VS20

Portability
67
Imaging
62
Features
96
Overall
75
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 580g - 134 x 91 x 69mm
  • Revealed February 2020
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M1 II
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
  • Announced January 2012
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax VS20 Overview

In this article, we are evaluating the Olympus E-M1 III and Pentax VS20, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and VS20 (16MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") come with different sensor size.

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The E-M1 III was manufactured 8 years later than the VS20 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-M1 III matches up versus the VS20 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 III over the Pentax VS20

 E-M1 III VS20 
AnnouncedFebruary 2020January 2012More recent by 98 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k460kCrisper display (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Olympus E-M1 III

 VS20 E-M1 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 III and Pentax VS20

 E-M1 III VS20 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to lug around your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 III enjoys exterior measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) whilst 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).

Look at the Olympus E-M1 III and Pentax VS20 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at the time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-M1 III vs the VS20.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 III and VS20 is 67 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements merely by looking through specifications. The photograph here should provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 III and VS20.

To sum up, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 III featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M1 III will render more detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images far more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 III should have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Portrait photography camera
77
has manual focus
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
36
manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Street photography factors
Pentax VS20 Street photography factors
78
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
offers touch focus
weather sealing
very good high ISO (25,600)
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (235 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Sports photography factors
Pentax VS20 Sports photography factors
81
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
high max frames per second (60.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
44
long zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has tracking focus
slow fps (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Travel photography features
Pentax VS20 Travel photography features
79
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
offers touch focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
68
lighter than others in class (235g)
decent megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
long zoom (560mm)
no Timelapse function
does not have selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Landscape photography factors
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography factors
81
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
has double storage slots
47
manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Vlogging info
Pentax VS20 Vlogging info
79
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect autofocus
high res video (4096 x 2160 pixels)
includes mic port
30
reasonably wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (235g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not have selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
no microphone jack
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 III and Pentax VS20
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIIPentax Optio VS20
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Pentax Optio VS20
Class Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2020-02-11 2012-01-25
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic IX -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Min enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 121 3
Cross focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2500 seconds
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shutter speed 60.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 2.80 m
Flash modes Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 580g (1.28 pounds) 235g (0.52 pounds)
Dimensions 134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") 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 life 420 pictures -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLH-1 D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Two One
Launch price $1,800 $106