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Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Announced September 2014
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL6
  • New Model is Olympus E-PL8
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
  • Launched January 2012
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Below, we are looking at the Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the VS20 (16MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL7 was launched 2 years later than the VS20 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-PL7 scores vs the VS20 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Pentax VS20

 E-PL7 VS20 
LaunchedSeptember 2014January 2012More recent by 32 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k460kCrisper display (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Olympus E-PL7

 VS20 E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Pentax VS20

 E-PL7 VS20 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL7 has physical measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Pentax VS20 has specifications of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") having a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL7 versus the VS20.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL7 and VS20 is 86 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very tough to envision the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reviewing technical specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL7 and VS20.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have got the exact same megapixels but not the same sensor measurements. The E-PL7 has the larger sensor which should make achieving shallow DOF less difficult. The younger E-PL7 will have a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography highlights
72
you can focus manually
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
exports RAW formats
36
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Street photography highlights
Pentax VS20 Street photography highlights
84
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
boasts touch to focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors in class (235 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography info
Pentax VS20 Sports photography info
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
no phase detect auto focus
44
excellent zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Travel photography camera
85
boasts touch to focus
MP count good (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
68
lighter than competitors in class (235g)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
long reach (560mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography info
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography info
80
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
47
has manual focus
really wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL7
Vlogging with Pentax VS20
78
display is selfie friendly
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have external microphone port
30
really wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors in class (235g)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external mic socket
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Pentax VS20
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL7 Pentax Optio VS20
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2014-09-01 2012-01-25
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS 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
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 81 3
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2500 secs
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 2.80 m
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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 file format 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 357g (0.79 pounds) 235g (0.52 pounds)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 873 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photos -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-50 D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $499 $106