Clicky

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic S5

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Olympus VG-120 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
76
Features
92
Overall
82

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic S5 Key Specs

Olympus VG-120
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2011
Panasonic S5
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.0" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Leica L Mount
  • 714g - 133 x 97 x 82mm
  • Announced August 2020
  • Replacement is Panasonic S5 II
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic S5 Overview

In this article, we will be looking at the Olympus VG-120 and Panasonic S5, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the VG-120 (14MP) and S5 (24MP) and the VG-120 (1/2.3") and S5 (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The VG-120 was revealed 10 years earlier than the S5 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a full comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the VG-120 matches up vs the S5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Panasonic S5

 VG-120 S5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic S5 over the Olympus VG-120

 S5 VG-120 
AnnouncedAugust 2020January 2011More recent by 116 months
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1840k230kClearer screen (+1610k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus VG-120 and Panasonic S5

 VG-120 S5 
Screen sizing3"3.0"Equivalent screen sizing

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic S5 Physical Comparison

When you are going to lug around your camera, you will have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus VG-120 comes with physical dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S5 has sizing of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") having a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus VG-120 and Panasonic S5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the VG-120 vs the S5.

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic S5 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the VG-120 and S5 is 96 and 60 respectively.

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic S5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic S5 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very tough to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements merely by viewing technical specs. The graphic below will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the VG-120 and S5.

As you have seen, each of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The VG-120 with its smaller sensor will make achieving bokeh harder and the Panasonic S5 will render extra detail because of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The older VG-120 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic S5 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic S5 Portrait photography highlights
33
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
provides face detection focus
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
85
focusing manually
good resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
comes with face detection focus
delivers RAW files
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Street Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Street photography details
Panasonic S5 Street photography details
48
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
78
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
boasts focus via touch
environment sealing
great high ISO (51,200)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus VG-120
Sports photography with Panasonic S5
26
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery life (160 per charge)
lacks phase detect auto focus
81
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet mode (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus VG-120
Travel photography with Panasonic S5
62
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (26mm)
missing Timelapse function
low battery life (160 shots)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
79
environment sealing
supports bluetooth
boasts focus via touch
good resolution (24 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic S5 Landscape photography highlights
36
really wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
manual exposure not available
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
low battery life (160 per charge)
missing Timelapse function
86
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Leica L mount)
screen size is good (3.0 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
great high ISO (51,200)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
2 card slots
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Vlogging features
Panasonic S5 Vlogging features
28
really wide (26mm)
provides face detection focus
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external microphone support
79
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes external microphone support
Photography Glossary

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic S5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-120 and Panasonic S5
 Olympus VG-120Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus VG-120 Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
Category Ultracompact Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2011-01-06 2020-08-14
Physical type Ultracompact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4288 x 3216 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 1600 51200
Highest enhanced ISO - 204800
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 225
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Leica L
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focus distance 7cm -
Amount of lenses - 31
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inches 3.0 inches
Resolution of display 230k dots 1,840k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate - 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.40 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync w/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264, H.265
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes (can be charged with high-power laptop/tablet chargers or portable power banks)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 120 grams (0.26 lb) 714 grams (1.57 lb)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 133 x 97 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2")
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 life 160 images 440 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-70B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Card slots Single Two
Price at release $190 $1,999