Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax VS20

Below, we are looking at the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax VS20, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and VS20 (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1 was announced 20 months earlier than the VS20 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a complete comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-PL1 scores against the VS20 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Pentax Optio VS20. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Pentax VS20 Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera regularly, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1 provides exterior measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Pentax VS20 has dimensions of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") with a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax VS20 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL1 and the VS20.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and VS20 is 86 and 90 respectively.

Normally, it is hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements just by going through specs. The photograph here should provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1 and VS20.

As you can plainly see, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Pentax VS20 will show greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images much more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.