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Panasonic G9 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
62
Imaging
60
Features
90
Overall
72
Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Panasonic G9
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 658g - 137 x 97 x 92mm
  • Announced November 2017
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
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Panasonic G9 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Here is a extended assessment of the Panasonic G9 and Pentax VS20, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the G9 (20MP) and VS20 (16MP) and the G9 (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor measurements.

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The G9 was launched 5 years later than the VS20 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic G9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a in depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the G9 matches up against the VS20 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G9 over the Pentax VS20

 G9 VS20 
RevealedNovember 2017January 2012Fresher by 71 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k460kSharper screen (+580k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Panasonic G9

 VS20 G9 

Common features in the Panasonic G9 and Pentax VS20

 G9 VS20 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic G9 provides outside measurements of 137mm x 97mm x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") with a weight of 658 grams (1.45 lbs) whilst the Pentax VS20 has measurements of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") and a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic G9 and Pentax VS20 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the G9 versus the VS20.

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the G9 and VS20 is 62 and 90 respectively.

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizing merely by going through a spec sheet. The graphic below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the G9 and VS20.

Clearly, each of these cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The G9 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Panasonic G9 will provide more detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will help you crop shots far more aggressively. The newer G9 will have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G9 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G9 Portrait photography features
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography features
76
focusing manually
MP count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
36
manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G9 Street photography advice
Pentax VS20 Street photography advice
75
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
has touch focus
weather sealing
great high ISO (25,600)
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (235 grams)
fixed screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G9 Sports photography factors
Pentax VS20 Sports photography factors
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
high max fps (20.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
weather sealing
not so great battery (400 shots)
no phase detect autofocus
44
incredible zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
slow fps (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G9 Travel photography details
Pentax VS20 Travel photography details
70
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
has touch focus
MP count decent (20MP)
display is selfie friendly
not so great battery (400 per charge)
68
lighter than average in class (235 grams)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
great reach (560mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
does not contain selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G9 Landscape photography factors
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography factors
76
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
no anti aliasing filter
great high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather sealing
2 card slots
not so great battery (400 CIPA)
47
manual focus
relatively wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not available
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G9 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax VS20 as a Vlogging camera
76
display is selfie friendly
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has mic support
30
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (235 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not contain selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external mic jack
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Panasonic G9 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G9 and Pentax VS20
 Panasonic Lumix DC-G9Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 Pentax Optio VS20
Type Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2017-11-08 2012-01-25
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 225 3
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,040k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 3,680k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.83x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2500 seconds
Fastest quiet shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shutter speed 20.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 2.80 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced 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 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 658g (1.45 lb) 235g (0.52 lb)
Dimensions 137 x 97 x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 400 pictures -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID DMW-BLF19 D-LI122
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 2 Single
Cost at release $1,500 $106