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Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Introduced November 2011
  • New Model is Olympus E-PM2
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
  • Introduced January 2012
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

The following is a complete assessment of the Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and VS20 (16MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizing.

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The E-PM1 was manufactured 2 months before the VS20 which means that they are of a similar generation. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a in-depth comparison, here is a short view of how the E-PM1 matches up vs the VS20 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Pentax VS20

 E-PM1 VS20 

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Olympus E-PM1

 VS20 E-PM1 

Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Pentax VS20

 E-PM1 VS20 
IntroducedNovember 2011January 2012Similar generation
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Screen resolution460k460kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

When you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PM1 provides outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 265 grams (0.58 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).

Check out the Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PM1 and the VS20.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PM1 and VS20 is 89 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be tough to imagine the difference between sensor dimensions merely by reviewing specifications. The image below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PM1 and VS20.

To sum up, both the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PM1 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh easier and the Pentax VS20 will offer more detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs way more aggressively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Portrait photography camera
60
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
resolution not great (12MP)
36
you can focus manually
MP count decent (16MP)
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Street photography details
Pentax VS20 Street photography details
75
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
fixed screen
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (235 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Sports photography camera
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
slow fps (6.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12MP)
no phase detect autofocus
44
excellent zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16MP)
supports tracking focus
low frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Travel photography camera
45
no Timelapse recording
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
68
lighter than competition (235 grams)
MP count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
very long reach (560mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PM1
Landscape photography with Pentax VS20
65
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
resolution not great (12MP)
no Timelapse recording
47
you can focus manually
pretty wide (28mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16MP)
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
no manual exposure
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Vlogging features
Pentax VS20 Vlogging features
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not contain selfie friendly display
no external microphone port
30
pretty wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (235g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have mic socket
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Pentax VS20
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM1 Pentax Optio VS20
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2011-11-23 2012-01-25
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
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 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 35 3
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2500s
Continuous shutter rate 6.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 2.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 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 AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 265 gr (0.58 pounds) 235 gr (0.52 pounds)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 shots -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch cost $499 $106