Olympus TG-5 vs Pentax VS20
90 Imaging
38 Features
51 Overall
43


90 Imaging
39 Features
35 Overall
37
Olympus TG-5 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 12800)
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 3840 x 2160 video
- 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
- 250g - 113 x 66 x 32mm
- Launched May 2017
- Succeeded the Olympus TG-4
- Updated by Olympus TG-6
(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
- Launched January 2012

Olympus TG-5 vs Pentax VS20 Overview
Following is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus TG-5 and Pentax VS20, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the TG-5 (12MP) and VS20 (16MP) but they possess the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

The TG-5 was brought out 5 years after the VS20 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).
Before going straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a short view of how the TG-5 grades against the VS20 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus TG-5 vs Pentax VS20 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Tough TG-5 and Pentax Optio VS20. The entire galleries are available at Olympus TG-5 Gallery and Pentax VS20 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus TG-5 over the Pentax VS20
TG-5 | VS20 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | May 2017 | ![]() | January 2012 | More modern by 65 months |
Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Olympus TG-5
VS20 | TG-5 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus TG-5 and Pentax VS20
TG-5 | VS20 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More accurate focusing | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical screen measurements |
Screen resolution | 460k | ![]() | 460k | The same screen resolution |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Missing selfie screen | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Missing Touch screen |
Olympus TG-5 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison
If you're aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Olympus TG-5 offers exterior measurements of 113mm x 66mm x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Pentax VS20 has specifications of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") along with a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).
Check the Olympus TG-5 and Pentax VS20 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use during that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the TG-5 vs the VS20.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-5 and VS20 is 90 and 90 respectively.

Olympus TG-5 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison
Often, its difficult to imagine the difference in sensor sizes simply by looking through technical specs. The pic here will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-5 and VS20.
As you have seen, both of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You should expect the Pentax VS20 to render greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more modern TG-5 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-5 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-5 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications
Olympus Tough TG-5 | Pentax Optio VS20 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Pentax |
Model type | Olympus Tough TG-5 | Pentax Optio VS20 |
Type | Waterproof | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Launched | 2017-05-17 | 2012-01-25 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic VIII | - |
Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4608 x 3456 |
Maximum native ISO | 12800 | 6400 |
Maximum boosted ISO | 12800 | - |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW files | ||
Minimum boosted ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Total focus points | 25 | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 25-100mm (4.0x) | 28-560mm (20.0x) |
Maximum aperture | f/2.0-4.9 | f/3.1-4.8 |
Macro focusing range | 1cm | 3cm |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Display resolution | 460 thousand dots | 460 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Display tech | - | TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 4 seconds | 4 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/2000 seconds | 1/2500 seconds |
Continuous shooting rate | 20.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | - | 2.80 m |
Flash settings | Auto, redeye reduction, slow sync, redeye slow sync, fill, manual, off | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM | 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 3840x2160 | 1280x720 |
Video format | MPEG-4, H.264 | Motion JPEG |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | Built-in | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 250g (0.55 lb) | 235g (0.52 lb) |
Dimensions | 113 x 66 x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") | 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 340 photos | - |
Battery type | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | LI-92B | D-LI122 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I compatible) | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Cost at launch | $449 | $106 |