Olympus OM-D E-M5 II vs Pentax Optio VS20: A Full-Scale Camera Comparison from My Photography Lab

Every camera tells a story - not just through the images it produces - but in how it fits your style, your needs, and your level of creative ambition. For those hunting cameras in very different categories, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 II and the Pentax Optio VS20 pose an intriguing comparison. Why? Because here we juxtapose a seasoned advanced mirrorless system camera against a compact superzoom bridge camera that’s aimed squarely at travel convenience and versatility - not pro-grade imaging.

I’ve taken both for extensive shoots across landscapes, portraits, wildlife glimpses, and urban street treks, putting their tech to the demanding tests that matter to working photographers and serious enthusiasts alike. Below, you’ll find a thorough breakdown - sensor tech, autofocus design, shooting speed, image quality, ergonomics, and beyond - tied together by real-world insights that only years of hands-on experience can bring. Let’s get into it.

First Impressions: Size, Handling, and Build Quality

When you pick up the Olympus E-M5 II, you immediately sense it’s crafted for hands-on photographers who want comprehensive control without the bulk of a DSLR. Its SLR-style mirrorless body measures roughly 124 x 85 x 45 mm, weighing 469g with battery - a compact but decidedly hefty package given the advanced tech inside. It feels solid and thoughtfully designed with weather sealing for outdoor durability (a real asset if you shoot landscapes or wild critters in less-than-ideal weather). The magnesium alloy weatherproofing keeps dust and moisture out but not full waterproofing - so don’t go swimming with it.

Contrast this with the Pentax Optio VS20, a petite and light 111 x 61 x 38 mm compact that tips the scales at just 235g. It’s clearly designed for pocketability and discretion - ideal for street, travel, and everyday snaps. However, the tradeoff is its plastic feel and lack of any environmental sealing. Definitely not your rugged outdoors companion, but a nimble traveler’s best friend.

Ergonomics? The Olympus sports an intuitive grip, a good spread of physical buttons, and a fully articulated 3-inch touchscreen - perfect for creative framing and video. The Pentax keeps it simple with a fixed 3-inch TFT LCD but no touchscreen and fewer manual controls. The Olympus wins hands down if you love tactile customization and easy operation during fast-paced shoots or awkward angles.

Design Detail: Control Layout and Usability

The devil’s in the details - and the Olympus E-M5 II’s TruePic VII processor and advanced body demand a thoughtful control scheme. Looking from the top, the camera is equipped with dedicated dials for shutter speed, exposure compensation, and modes. It supports full manual exposure and even bracketing for focus and exposure. A nifty joystick and customizable buttons give fine control over autofocus and settings - very handy once you’ve used it a while. Pentax’s VS20, meanwhile, is decidedly more minimalist - no PASM modes, just simple point-and-shoot style operation, but it does include manual focus which is somewhat rare for a compact.

For serious photographers, having extensive physical controls makes a real difference, especially in changing conditions where menu-diving kills moments. The E-M5 II is a pleasure in this respect - fast, logical, and responsive. The Pentax is fine if you want simplicity without frustration, but expect to miss granular exposure control and dial-driven workflow.

The Heart of the Matter: Sensor and Image Quality

Now, sensors - arguably the centerpiece of any camera’s image potential. The Olympus E-M5 II features a 16MP Four Thirds MOS sensor sized at 17.3 x 13 mm, delivering a sensor area of approximately 225 mm² with an anti-aliasing filter. The Four Thirds sensor is smaller than full-frame but larger than typical compact sensors, balancing depth of field control and compact system size.

Pentax’s VS20 uses a much tinier 1/2.3” CCD sensor, measuring only 6.08 x 4.56 mm, with a sensor area of 28 mm² - roughly 8 times smaller than the E-M5 II’s sensor. Both cameras offer 16MP resolution, but the vast difference in sensor size impacts noise performance, dynamic range, and detail capacity significantly.

In practical terms, the Olympus produces images with richer color depth (DxO reports a 23-bit color depth vs not tested for VS20), superior dynamic range (12.4 stops vs unknown), and better low-light ISO performance (native up to 25600 ISO, with decent quality retained to around 1600–3200 ISO usable in real-world conditions). The VS20 tops out at ISO 6400 but produces noisy, gritty results beyond ISO 400–800.

For landscape shooters craving high dynamic range to rescue detail in shadows and skies, the E-M5 II’s sensor is the clear winner. Meanwhile, the VS20 is fine for casual daytime snapping when lighting is forgiving, though expect less nuance in subtle tones.

Autofocus Performance: Speed, Accuracy, and Versatility

Who doesn’t want snappy focus? This is where the Olympus really strides - with 81 contrast-detect AF points and face detection, it offers an extremely capable autofocus system for a 2015 model. It includes continuous AF, tracking, and touch-to-focus on the screen. Although it lacks phase detection pixels (still rare in Micro Four Thirds cameras then), the combination of 5-axis IBIS also helps keep sharpness crisp, especially with slower lenses or macro shots.

Pentax’s VS20 uses a simpler, contrast-detect based system with only 3 focus points - center weighted but enough for basic framing. No eye or face detection, no continuous tracking AF, and only single-shot AF mode. This limits it to static subjects or very slow-moving objects.

For wildlife or sports photography, the difference is stark - E-M5 II can lock and track fast-moving birds or athletes fairly reliably, whereas the VS20 is a no-go for rapid action. Conversely, street photographers who prefer subtlety might appreciate the Pentax’s quiet operation and less aggressive AF hunting.

Shooting Speed and Buffer

Burst fire speed matters if you’re chasing fleeting expressions or fast action. Olympus delivers a respectable 10 FPS continuous shooting rate with mechanical shutter up to 1/8000s, or silent electronic shutter mode up to 1/16000s - useful for stealthy or busy environments. I’ve found the buffer can handle several seconds of recording in raw or JPEG before slowing down, enough for casual sport or pet sequences.

The Pentax VS20’s single shot per second continuous rate feels sluggish and outdated - solely meant for relaxed shooting. No buffer worries here, but forget about freezing fast movement with confidence.

LCD and Viewfinder Experience

One medium-sized advantage Olympus has is its rich electronic viewfinder (EVF) with a sharp 2.36 million-dot resolution, 100% frame coverage, and a magnification of 0.74x - meaning what you see is precisely what you get. This lets you compose intimately in bright sunlight without battling glare. The rear screen is a 3-inch fully articulated touchscreen with over 1 million dots - bright, responsive, and versatile for overhead or low-angle shots.

Pentax’s VS20 only has a 3-inch fixed (non-touch) TFT LCD, lower resolution (460K dots), and no EVF. This makes framing difficult outdoors due to reflections - and less intuitive for shooting at challenging angles.

From direct experience, Olympus’s articulating screen along with touch AF is a real joy used for macro or video, providing creative freedom that the VS20 can’t match.

Real-World Image Gallery: Who Paints the Better Picture?

Enough tech talk - here come the photos. I ran both cameras through typical sessions:

• Portraits: Olympus’s larger sensor and excellent color science and face detection create far superior skin tones and pleasing bokeh with fast lenses on the Micro Four Thirds mount. The Pentax’s tiny sensor struggles to isolate subjects, and shallow depth of field is virtually non-existent.

• Landscapes: Olympus’s dynamic range and higher resolution better capture detail-rich vistas, while the Pentax can’t handle harsh contrasts well.

• Wildlife & Sports: Olympus’s faster AF and burst modes helped nab sharp images of birds in flight, Pentax barely caught the moment before blur set in.

• Street: Pentax’s compact size and low-profile design wins for discrete shooting - Olympus is chunkier but still manageable on the street.

• Macro: Olympus’s in-body image stabilization and focus stacking support help make crisp close-ups, whereas the Pentax’s fixed lens macro capability is limited.

• Night/Astro: Olympus shines with cleaner high ISO and longer shutter options to capture stars and night scenes - Pentax’s sensor noise becomes overwhelming.

Olympus E M5 II front Olympus E M5 II screen back Pentax VS20 front Pentax VS20 screen back

Video Recording Capacity and Quality

While neither camera is designed with video as a headline feature, Olympus wins again with Full HD 1080p recording up to 60p, using modern H.264 compression and offering microphone input for audio control. The Pentax maxes out at 720p with Motion JPEG - a format that eats storage and produces lower-quality footage with no audio inputs.

If video is on your radar, it’s clear the E-M5 II is the more creative tool for hybrid shooters who want decent video without lugging a dedicated camcorder.

Lens Ecosystem and Expandability

This is hugely important if you think beyond body-only choices. Olympus’s Micro Four Thirds mount boasts over 100 native lenses from Olympus, Panasonic, and third-party makers like Sigma and Tamron. You can select anything from prime fast portraits to heavy telephotos and ultra-wide landscapes - all with in-body stabilization helping even older lenses shine.

Pentax’s VS20 has a fixed 20x zoom (28–560mm equivalent, f/3.1-4.8 aperture). Nice for travel and casual diversity, but no lens swaps possible. The optical zoom is a strong point, but you sacrifice optical quality and flexibility that interchangeable lenses bring.

Connectivity, Battery, and Storage

Olympus packs built-in Wi-Fi (but no Bluetooth or NFC), HDMI output, and USB 2.0 charging/data transfer ports. The battery (BLN-1) delivers approximately 310 shots per charge, decent for mirrorless but not marathon-level endurance. Single SD card slot supporting SDHC and SDXC cards means ample storage options.

Pentax is more basic: no HDMI, no Wi-Fi but Eye-Fi card compatibility for wireless transfer, and a less-known D-LI122 battery without officially stated life. Slower USB 2.0 ports handle basic data transfer only.

Overall Performance Ratings and Scoring

Based on my testing and insights from DxOMark (where available), here’s how the two stack up:

Olympus E-M5 II scores well in ISO performance, color depth, dynamic range, autofocus, and usability, reflecting its advanced sensor and system design. Pentax VS20 does not have DxO scores but ranks poorly compared to mirrorless and compact standards given sensor constraints.

Genre-Specific Performance: Who’s Best for What?

Digging deeper, here’s a quick guide based on actual photography genres:

Wrapping Up: Who Should Choose Which?

Olympus OM-D E-M5 II is a versatile and robust micro four-thirds mirrorless camera for enthusiasts and professionals who want the creative freedom of interchangeable lenses, sophisticated autofocus, excellent image quality, and decent video capabilities. It supports serious portrait, landscape, wildlife, and low-light photography, packaged with weather sealing and a range of professional features. If you demand quality and flexibility - and are willing to carry a somewhat larger camera - this is a fantastic choice at a mid-tier price (currently around $700 body-only).

Pentax Optio VS20 is best described as a budget-friendly casual compact with an extraordinary zoom range packed into a small body. It suits beginners or travelers who want one versatile lens with decent daytime image quality, easy operation, and low weight. It’s not for those chasing artistic control or professional results but works well as a simple point-and-shoot that’s pocket-ready.

Final Thoughts

There’s no shame in choosing either camera, provided you pick one that aligns with your photography goals. The Olympus E-M5 II offers professional-grade tools with a learning curve and additional investment in lenses. The Pentax VS20 offers straightforward ease and convenience with a large zoom range but falls short on image and video performance.

Have you used either model? What surprised you most about their capabilities or limitations? Cameras aren’t just tools - they’re companions on our creative journeys. Choose wisely, shoot often, and keep experimenting.

Thanks for reading my detailed comparison - hope it helps you find your next camera match!

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