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Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
82
Imaging
53
Features
73
Overall
61
Olympus OM-D E-M10 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 119 x 82 x 46mm
  • Revealed March 2014
  • Successor is Olympus E-M10 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
  • Revealed January 2012
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Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

On this page, we are matching up the Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-M10 (16MP) and the VS20 (16MP) is very close but the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizes.

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The E-M10 was announced 2 years later than the VS20 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-M10 scores versus the VS20 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 over the Pentax VS20

 E-M10 VS20 
RevealedMarch 2014January 2012Fresher by 27 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k460kCrisper display (+577k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Olympus E-M10

 VS20 E-M10 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 and Pentax VS20

 E-M10 VS20 
Manual focus More exact focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M10 has got outside dimensions of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) and the Pentax VS20 has sizing of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") with a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at the time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M10 compared to the VS20.

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M10 and VS20 is 82 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizing just by researching technical specs. The visual underneath might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M10 and VS20.

As you have seen, both cameras have the same megapixels but different sensor sizing. The E-M10 comes with the larger sensor which is going to make obtaining shallower depth of field easier. The fresher E-M10 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Portrait photography features
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography features
71
manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
36
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Street photography features
Pentax VS20 Street photography features
77
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
provides focus via touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
heavier than competition (396 grams)
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (235g)
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Sports photography camera
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
no phase detect autofocus
44
great zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16MP)
features tracking focus
max fps very slow (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Travel photography info
Pentax VS20 Travel photography info
67
provides focus via touch
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
heavier than competition (396 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
68
lighter than competition (235g)
resolution is good (16MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (28mm)
long zoom (560mm)
missing Timelapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography highlights
79
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
47
manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax VS20 as a Vlogging camera
33
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of external mic socket
heavier than competition (396 grams)
30
decently wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (235g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not feature selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing microphone jack
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Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 and Pentax VS20
 Olympus OM-D E-M10Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus OM-D E-M10 Pentax Optio VS20
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2014-03-18 2012-01-25
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII -
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 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 81 3
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focus range - 3cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT LCD TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2500 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 8.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.80 m (ISO100) 2.80 m
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual(1/1(FULL)~1/64) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 396g (0.87 pounds) 235g (0.52 pounds)
Physical dimensions 119 x 82 x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 884 not tested
Other
Battery life 320 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 D-LI122
Self timer Yes (12 sec., 2 sec.,custom (Waiting time 1-30sec.,Shooting interval 0.5/1/2/3sec.,Number of shots 1-10)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $600 $106