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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Introduced September 2012
Pentax VS20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • 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-PL5 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Below, we will be comparing the Olympus E-PL5 versus Pentax VS20, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the VS20 (16MP) is relatively close but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL5 was brought out 8 months after the VS20 which means that they are of a similar age. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-PL5 scores versus the VS20 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Pentax VS20

 E-PL5 VS20 
RevealedSeptember 2012January 2012More modern by 8 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Olympus E-PL5

 VS20 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax VS20

 E-PL5 VS20 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Screen resolution460k460kExact same screen resolution

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 offers outer measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Pentax VS20 has measurements of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 versus Pentax VS20 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with during that time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL5 and the VS20.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and VS20 is 88 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very difficult to see the gap in sensor sizes simply by researching specifications. The pic underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and VS20.

Plainly, both of the cameras have got the exact same megapixels albeit not the same sensor sizes. The E-PL5 features the bigger sensor which should make obtaining shallower DOF simpler. The more recent E-PL5 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Portrait photography camera
71
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
36
you can focus manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography advice
Pentax VS20 Street photography advice
85
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
comes with focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors in class (235g)
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Sports photography camera
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect autofocus
44
amazing zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16MP)
features tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Travel photography camera
75
comes with focus via touch
megapixel count good (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse recording
68
lighter than competitors in class (235 grams)
MP count good (16MP)
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
long reach (560mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography details
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography details
74
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
lack of Time Lapse recording
47
you can focus manually
relatively wide (28mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16MP)
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging advice
Pentax VS20 Vlogging advice
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of external mic support
30
relatively wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors in class (235 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic support
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax VS20
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Pentax Optio VS20
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2012-09-17 2012-01-25
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 35 3
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2500 secs
Continuous shutter rate 8.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 2.80 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 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 data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325g (0.72 pounds) 235g (0.52 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 pictures -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $400 $106