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Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Olympus VG-120 front
 
Pentax K-1 front
Portability
55
Imaging
76
Features
82
Overall
78

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1 Key Specs

Olympus VG-120
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2011
Pentax K-1
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 1010g - 137 x 110 x 86mm
  • Introduced February 2016
  • Renewed by Pentax K-1 II
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Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1 Overview

In this write-up, we will be matching up the Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the VG-120 (14MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the VG-120 (1/2.3") and K-1 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The VG-120 was revealed 6 years before the K-1 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going through a in-depth comparison, below is a simple view of how the VG-120 matches up against the K-1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Pentax K-1

 VG-120 K-1 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-1 over the Olympus VG-120

 K-1 VG-120 
IntroducedFebruary 2016January 2011Newer by 62 months
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VG-120 and Pentax K-1

 VG-120 K-1 
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus VG-120 provides exterior measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Pentax K-1 has sizing of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") having a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the VG-120 and the K-1.

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the VG-120 and K-1 is 96 and 55 respectively.

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's hard to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions purely by looking at technical specs. The pic underneath may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the VG-120 and K-1.

As you have seen, both of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The VG-120 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Pentax K-1 will give you more detail because of its extra 22 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs far more aggressively. The more aged VG-120 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Portrait photography features
Pentax K-1 Portrait photography features
33
megapixel count decent (14MP)
offers face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
85
you can focus manually
MP count excellent (36MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
offers face detection focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Street photography factors
Pentax K-1 Street photography factors
48
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
70
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
very good ISO range (204,800)
heavier than competition in class (1,010 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-1 as a Sports photography camera
26
megapixel count decent (14MP)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery power (160 CIPA)
no phase detect AF
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count excellent (36 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proofing
comes with phase detect AF
low fps (4.4 frames per second)
terrible battery (760 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus VG-120
Travel photography with Pentax K-1
62
megapixel count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (26mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
low battery power (160 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
53
weather proofing
MP count excellent (36MP)
terrible battery (760 per charge)
heavier than competition in class (1,010 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus VG-120
Landscape photography with Pentax K-1
36
reasonably wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
no manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
low battery power (160 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse function
81
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3.2")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count excellent (36 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
no anti aliasing filter
very good ISO range (204,800)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
has double storage slots
terrible battery (760 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-1 as a Vlogging camera
28
reasonably wide (26mm)
offers face detect focusing
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have mic port
31
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have external mic port
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
heavier than competition in class (1,010g)
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Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-120 and Pentax K-1
 Olympus VG-120Pentax K-1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus VG-120 Pentax K-1
Type Ultracompact Advanced DSLR
Announced 2011-01-06 2016-02-17
Body design Ultracompact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 36 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Full resolution 4288 x 3216 7360 x 4912
Max native ISO 1600 204800
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points - 33
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focus range 7cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3.2 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed - 4.4 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.40 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/200 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 120g (0.26 pounds) 1010g (2.23 pounds)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 137 x 110 x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 96
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.6
DXO Low light score not tested 3280
Other
Battery life 160 photos 760 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-70B D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Storage slots 1 2
Launch pricing $190 $1,499