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Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
34
Overall
34
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Panasonic FX90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-5.9) lens
  • 149g - 102 x 56 x 22mm
  • Released August 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
  • Launched January 2012
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Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

In this article, we will be reviewing the Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the FX90 (12MP) and VS20 (16MP) but they feature the same exact sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The FX90 was revealed 5 months earlier than the VS20 and they are both of a similar age. The two cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before going in to a complete comparison, below is a quick summary of how the FX90 scores vs the VS20 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX90 over the Pentax VS20

 FX90 VS20 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Panasonic FX90

 VS20 FX90 
Manually focus Very accurate focus

Common features in the Panasonic FX90 and Pentax VS20

 FX90 VS20 
LaunchedAugust 2011January 2012Same age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Screen resolution460k460kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry your camera regularly, you will have to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FX90 comes with external dimensions of 102mm x 56mm x 22mm (4.0" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 149 grams (0.33 lbs) while 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).

Examine the Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that moment. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the FX90 vs the VS20.

Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FX90 and VS20 is 95 and 90 respectively.

Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its hard to picture the gap in sensor sizing simply by researching a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the FX90 and VS20.

Clearly, both of the cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You can count on the Pentax VS20 to result in more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively.

Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FX90 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Portrait photography camera
21
no manual focus
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
36
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
no manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FX90
Street photography with Pentax VS20
62
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with focus by touch
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (235g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FX90 Sports photography highlights
Pentax VS20 Sports photography highlights
30
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (4.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery (200 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
44
great zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
features tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic FX90
Travel photography with Pentax VS20
60
comes with focus by touch
built-in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
bad battery (200 shots)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
68
lighter than average in class (235g)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
great zoom (560mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FX90 Landscape photography details
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography details
36
relatively wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
no manual exposure
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
bad battery (200 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
47
manual focus
relatively wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
no manual exposure
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FX90 Vlogging advice
Pentax VS20 Vlogging advice
33
relatively wide (24mm)
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone jack
30
relatively wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (235g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external mic support
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Panasonic FX90 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FX90 and Pentax VS20
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90 Pentax Optio VS20
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2011-08-26 2012-01-25
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 23 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) 28-560mm (20.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.5-5.9 f/3.1-4.8
Macro focus distance 3cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology TFT LCD TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2500 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 4.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.90 m 2.80 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
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 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 149g (0.33 lb) 235g (0.52 lb)
Dimensions 102 x 56 x 22mm (4.0" x 2.2" x 0.9") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 200 pictures -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model - D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $227 $106