Panasonic FZ80 vs Pentax VS20

Lets look a little more closely at the Panasonic FZ80 versus Pentax VS20, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by companies Panasonic and Pentax. The resolution of the FZ80 (18MP) and the VS20 (16MP) is very similar and they use the same exact sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The FZ80 was released 5 years later than the VS20 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a thorough comparison, below is a brief overview of how the FZ80 scores against the VS20 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 and Pentax Optio VS20. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic FZ80 Gallery and Pentax VS20 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FZ80 provides external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") with a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) while the Pentax VS20 has dimensions of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FZ80 versus Pentax VS20 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the FZ80 and the VS20.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FZ80 and VS20 is 63 and 90 respectively.

Quite often, it's tough to visualize the difference between sensor measurements only by reading specs. The graphic here will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the FZ80 and VS20.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but different MP. You should expect to see the Panasonic FZ80 to offer greater detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics a little more aggressively. The newer FZ80 provides a benefit in sensor technology.