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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZS20

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 front
Portability
92
Imaging
38
Features
46
Overall
41

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZS20 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 Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Launched January 2016
Panasonic ZS20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 206g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Released April 2012
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ30
  • Replaced the Panasonic ZS15
  • Later Model is Panasonic ZS25
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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZS20 Overview

Here is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic ZS20, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and ZS20 (14MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and ZS20 (1/2.3") come with different sensor dimensions.

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The PEN-F was brought out 3 years later than the ZS20 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the PEN-F grades versus the ZS20 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Panasonic ZS20

 PEN-F ZS20 
ReleasedJanuary 2016April 2012Fresher by 46 months
Focus manually More exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k460kClearer screen (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS20 over the Olympus PEN-F

 ZS20 PEN-F 

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic ZS20

 PEN-F ZS20 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZS20 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus PEN-F comes with outside measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") having a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS20 has proportions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).

See the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic ZS20 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the PEN-F vs the ZS20.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZS20 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the PEN-F and ZS20 is 84 and 92 respectively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZS20 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be hard to imagine the difference between sensor sizing purely by reading through specifications. The visual here may provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the PEN-F and ZS20.

To sum up, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The PEN-F featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus PEN-F will resolve more detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more recent PEN-F provides an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Portrait photography factors
Panasonic ZS20 Portrait photography factors
75
you can focus manually
good megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
30
MP count decent (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS20 as a Street photography camera
84
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
has touch focus
good high ISO (25,600)
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
boasts touch focus
lighter than average (206g)
no articulating screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Sports photography highlights
Panasonic ZS20 Sports photography highlights
67
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
quiet mode (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
not so great battery life (330 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
47
amazing zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
bad battery life (260 per charge)
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Travel photography features
Panasonic ZS20 Travel photography features
75
has touch focus
good megapixels (20MP)
display is selfie friendly
not so great battery life (330 per charge)
68
lighter than average (206 grams)
boasts touch focus
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (24mm)
great reach (480mm)
does not have Timelapse function
bad battery life (260 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Landscape photography features
Panasonic ZS20 Landscape photography features
76
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
not so great battery life (330 shots)
42
rather wide (24mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
bad battery life (260 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Vlogging features
Panasonic ZS20 Vlogging features
78
display is selfie friendly
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have external microphone jack
34
rather wide (24mm)
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than average (206g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone jack
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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic ZS20
 Olympus PEN-FPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN-F Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-TZ30
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2016-01-27 2012-04-26
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 5184 x 3888 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Lowest enhanced ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 81 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 15 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.40 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, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE 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) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 427 grams (0.94 lbs) 206 grams (0.45 lbs)
Dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 74 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 894 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photos 260 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $1,000 $349