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Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Olympus VG-120 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax VS20 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
Pentax VS20
(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
  • Revealed January 2012
Photography Glossary

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus VG-120 versus Pentax VS20, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the VG-120 (14MP) and the VS20 (16MP) is pretty well matched and both cameras boast the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The VG-120 was announced 12 months earlier than the VS20 so they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short highlight of how the VG-120 scores against the VS20 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Pentax VS20

 VG-120 VS20 

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Olympus VG-120

 VS20 VG-120 
RevealedJanuary 2012January 2011Newer by 12 months
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VG-120 and Pentax VS20

 VG-120 VS20 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch screen Absent Touch screen

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

If you're going to travel with your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus VG-120 provides external measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Pentax VS20 has sizing of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") having a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus VG-120 versus Pentax VS20 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the VG-120 compared to the VS20.

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the VG-120 and VS20 is 96 and 90 respectively.

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions simply by looking at technical specs. The picture below should give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the VG-120 and VS20.

As you have seen, each of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Pentax VS20 to resolve more detail with its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged VG-120 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Portrait photography camera
33
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
features face detection focus
manual focus not available
no manual control
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
36
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus VG-120
Street photography with Pentax VS20
48
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (235g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Sports photography advice
Pentax VS20 Sports photography advice
26
MP count decent (14MP)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery (160 per charge)
no phase detect auto focus
44
excellent zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
offers tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus VG-120
Travel photography with Pentax VS20
62
MP count decent (14MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (26mm)
lack of Timelapse function
terrible battery (160 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
68
lighter than others in class (235 grams)
megapixel count good (16MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (28mm)
long reach (560mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Landscape photography factors
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography factors
36
pretty wide (26mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
MP count decent (14MP)
manual focus not available
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
no image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
terrible battery (160 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse function
47
has manual focus
quite wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus VG-120
Vlogging with Pentax VS20
28
pretty wide (26mm)
features face detection focus
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external microphone jack
30
quite wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (235g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of mic socket
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Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-120 and Pentax VS20
 Olympus VG-120Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus VG-120 Pentax Optio VS20
Category Ultracompact Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2011-01-06 2012-01-25
Physical type Ultracompact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4288 x 3216 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 26-130mm (5.0x) 28-560mm (20.0x)
Highest aperture f/2.8-6.5 f/3.1-4.8
Macro focusing distance 7cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology TFT Color LCD TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 4s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2500s
Continuous shooting rate - 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.40 m 2.80 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 120g (0.26 lb) 235g (0.52 lb)
Physical dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 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 160 photos -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI-70B D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $190 $106