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Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
48
Overall
43
Olympus SH-50 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Olympus SH-50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 269g - 112 x 63 x 42mm
  • Revealed January 2013
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
  • Released January 2012
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Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Below is a extensive review of the Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the SH-50 (16MP) and the VS20 (16MP) is very comparable and both cameras provide the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SH-50 was revealed 12 months later than the VS20 so they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before delving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the SH-50 scores vs the VS20 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-50 over the Pentax VS20

 SH-50 VS20 
ReleasedJanuary 2013January 2012More recent by 12 months
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Olympus SH-50

 VS20 SH-50 

Common features in the Olympus SH-50 and Pentax VS20

 SH-50 VS20 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Display resolution460k460kExact same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus SH-50 enjoys exterior dimensions of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Pentax VS20 has proportions of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the SH-50 vs the VS20.

Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the SH-50 and VS20 is 88 and 90 respectively.

Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its tough to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements purely by seeing specifications. The photograph here will give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-50 and VS20.

To sum up, the 2 cameras feature the identical sensor size and the same exact resolution so you can expect comparable quality of files although you should really take the launch date of the cameras into account. The more modern SH-50 should have a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Portrait photography info
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography info
44
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
supports face detection autofocus
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
36
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus SH-50 as a Street photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Street photography camera
64
built in image stabilization (Optical)
boasts touch focus
lighter than others in class (269 grams)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (235 grams)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Sports photography features
Pentax VS20 Sports photography features
48
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
44
incredible zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
slow frames per second (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Travel photography details
Pentax VS20 Travel photography details
69
lighter than others in class (269g)
boasts touch focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
no Timelapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
68
lighter than competitors (235g)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
great zoom (560mm)
no Time Lapse recording
does not contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-50 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Landscape photography camera
49
manual focus
fairly wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
no Timelapse recording
47
you can focus manually
pretty wide (28mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SH-50
Vlogging with Pentax VS20
34
fairly wide (25mm)
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (269g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
display is not selfie friendly
no external microphone socket
30
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (235 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic port
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Olympus SH-50 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-50 and Pentax VS20
 Olympus SH-50Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus SH-50 Pentax Optio VS20
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2013-01-08 2012-01-25
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
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 - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 28-560mm (20.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.1-4.8
Macro focus distance 5cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2500s
Continuous shutter speed 12.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.00 m 2.80 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) 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 MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 269 gr (0.59 lbs) 235 gr (0.52 lbs)
Physical dimensions 112 x 63 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery model SLB-10A D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Launch price $300 $106