Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VH-515

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VH-515, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both designed by Olympus. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and VH-515 (12MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and VH-515 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

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The PEN-F was brought out 3 years later than the VH-515 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a short highlight of how the PEN-F scores versus the VH-515 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN-F & Olympus VH-515. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus PEN-F Gallery & Olympus VH-515 Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus PEN-F features outer dimensions of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Olympus VH-515 has dimensions of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") having a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus VH-515 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the PEN-F versus the VH-515.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the PEN-F and VH-515 is 84 and 95 respectively.

Sometimes, it's hard to picture the contrast in sensor measurements just by looking through specs. The graphic underneath might give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the PEN-F and VH-515.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The PEN-F featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus PEN-F will render more detail having its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The newer PEN-F provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.