Clicky

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax VS20

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Introduced February 2015
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M5
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M5 III
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
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-M5 II versus Pentax VS20, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the VS20 (16MP) is fairly comparable but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizing.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The E-M5 II was introduced 3 years after the VS20 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-M5 II matches up versus the VS20 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Pentax VS20

 E-M5 II VS20 
RevealedFebruary 2015January 2012Newer by 37 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k460kSharper display (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 VS20 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Pentax VS20

 E-M5 II VS20 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurement

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to travel with your camera regularly, you will have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 II has exterior measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) and the Pentax VS20 has proportions of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") and a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M5 II versus Pentax VS20 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 II vs the VS20.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and VS20 is 80 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its hard to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions purely by going through specifications. The picture underneath will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and VS20.

Plainly, both of those cameras offer the same exact resolution but different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 II provides the larger sensor which is going to make obtaining shallower depth of field simpler. The younger E-M5 II should have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography highlights
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography highlights
71
you can focus manually
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
36
manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography factors
Pentax VS20 Street photography factors
82
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
comes with touch to focus
environment proof
above average ISO range (25,600)
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average (235g)
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Sports photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Sports photography camera
65
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
quiet shutter (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
environment proof
terrible battery life (310 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
44
great zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Travel photography with Pentax VS20
74
environment proof
comes with touch to focus
good resolution (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
terrible battery life (310 shots)
68
lighter than average (235g)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (28mm)
long reach (560mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography advice
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography advice
74
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
terrible battery life (310 shots)
47
manual focus
really wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
lack of Time Lapse recording
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging features
Pentax VS20 Vlogging features
82
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have microphone socket
30
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average (235 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external mic socket
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Pentax VS20
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPentax Optio VS20
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Pentax Optio VS20
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2015-02-06 2012-01-25
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 81 3
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2500s
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 2.80 m
Flash options Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469g (1.03 pounds) 235g (0.52 pounds)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 896 not tested
Other
Battery life 310 pictures -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $699 $106