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Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VG-160

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Olympus VG-160 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
26
Overall
32

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VG-160 Key Specs

Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Announced January 2016
Olympus VG-160
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Launched January 2012
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Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VG-160 Overview

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus PEN-F versus Olympus VG-160, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are offered by Olympus. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and VG-160 (14MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and VG-160 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.

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The PEN-F was launched 4 years after the VG-160 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a thorough comparison, below is a simple summary of how the PEN-F matches up versus the VG-160 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Olympus VG-160

 PEN-F VG-160 
LaunchedJanuary 2016January 2012Newer by 50 months
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k230kSharper display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Olympus PEN-F

 VG-160 PEN-F 

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Olympus VG-160

 PEN-F VG-160 
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VG-160 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus PEN-F comes with outside measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") along with a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Olympus VG-160 has dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus PEN-F versus Olympus VG-160 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the PEN-F vs the VG-160.

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VG-160 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the PEN-F and VG-160 is 84 and 96 respectively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VG-160 top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VG-160 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to picture the gap in sensor dimensions simply by seeing specifications. The image underneath will help offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the PEN-F and VG-160.

To sum up, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The PEN-F because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus PEN-F will provide more detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The younger PEN-F should have an edge in sensor tech.

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VG-160 sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VG-160 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VG-160 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Portrait photography factors
Olympus VG-160 Portrait photography factors
75
focusing manually
good resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
33
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
offers face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Street photography camera
Olympus VG-160 as a Street photography camera
84
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
provides touch focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
56
lighter than competition (125g)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus PEN-F
Sports photography with Olympus VG-160
67
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
quiet shutter (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
low battery life (330 CIPA)
lacks phase detect AF
26
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery life (165 shots)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Travel photography factors
Olympus VG-160 Travel photography factors
75
provides touch focus
good resolution (20MP)
display is selfie friendly
low battery life (330 shots)
65
lighter than competition (125g)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (26mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
bad battery life (165 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus VG-160 as a Landscape photography camera
76
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
low battery life (330 shots)
36
reasonably wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
manual exposure not possible
lack of image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
bad battery life (165 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Vlogging camera
Olympus VG-160 as a Vlogging camera
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't have external mic port
30
reasonably wide (26mm)
offers face detection focus
lighter than competition (125 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone port
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Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VG-160 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Olympus VG-160
 Olympus PEN-FOlympus VG-160
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN-F Olympus VG-160
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2016-01-27 2012-01-10
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Highest Possible resolution 5184 x 3888 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 25600 1600
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 81 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-6.5
Macro focus distance - 7cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.80 m
Flash options Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 427 gr (0.94 lbs) 125 gr (0.28 lbs)
Dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 74 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 894 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 165 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 LI-70B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $1,000 $90