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Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Pentax XG-1 front
Portability
66
Imaging
40
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1 Key Specs

Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Released August 2012
Pentax XG-1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1248mm (F2.8-5.6) lens
  • 567g - 119 x 89 x 98mm
  • Announced July 2014
Photography Glossary

Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1 Overview

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and XG-1 (16MP) but they feature the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The VH-515 was released 23 months before the XG-1 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Pentax XG-1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a quick view of how the VH-515 scores against the XG-1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Pentax XG-1

 VH-515 XG-1 
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax XG-1 over the Olympus VH-515

 XG-1 VH-515 
AnnouncedJuly 2014August 2012Fresher by 23 months
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Pentax XG-1

 VH-515 XG-1 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display sizing
Display resolution460k460kIdentical display resolution
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus VH-515 has external measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") along with a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) and the Pentax XG-1 has measurements of 119mm x 89mm x 98mm (4.7" x 3.5" x 3.9") along with a weight of 567 grams (1.25 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the VH-515 versus the XG-1.

Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the VH-515 and XG-1 is 95 and 66 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be tough to see the contrast between sensor sizing only by looking at a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the VH-515 and XG-1.

As you can see, both of those cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but not the same resolution. You can anticipate the Pentax XG-1 to give more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics far more aggressively. The older VH-515 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus VH-515
Portrait photography with Pentax XG-1
27
features face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
40
you can focus manually
decent MP (16MP)
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Street photography factors
Pentax XG-1 Street photography factors
62
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
boasts focus via touch
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
43
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
more heavy than others (567 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax XG-1 as a Sports photography camera
32
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
45
great zoom range (24-1248mm 52.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (240 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Travel photography features
Pentax XG-1 Travel photography features
62
boasts focus via touch
built-in flash
really wide (26mm)
no Timelapse mode
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
52
decent MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (24mm)
long zoom (1248mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (240 per charge)
more heavy than others (567 grams)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography information
Pentax XG-1 Landscape photography information
37
really wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lack of manual focus
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
manual exposure not possible
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
no Timelapse mode
45
you can focus manually
pretty wide (24mm)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
bad battery pack (240 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Vlogging info
Pentax XG-1 Vlogging info
35
really wide (26mm)
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
no microphone jack
25
pretty wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone support
more heavy than others (567 grams)
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Olympus VH-515 vs Pentax XG-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Pentax XG-1
 Olympus VH-515Pentax XG-1
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus VH-515 Pentax XG-1
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2012-08-21 2014-07-15
Physical type Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) 24-1248mm (52.0x)
Highest aperture f/2.8-6.5 f/2.8-5.6
Macro focus range 5cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 200k dots
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames/s 9.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.70 m 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Force Off, Flash Auto, Force Flash, Slow Sync., Slow Sync. + Red-Eye, Red-Eye Reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (120 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 152 gr (0.34 lb) 567 gr (1.25 lb)
Dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 119 x 89 x 98mm (4.7" x 3.5" x 3.9")
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 - 240 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B LB-060
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $648 $599