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Panasonic G1 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
82
Imaging
46
Features
50
Overall
47
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Panasonic G1 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Panasonic G1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 3200)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 360g - 124 x 84 x 45mm
  • Revealed January 2009
  • Successor is Panasonic G2
Pentax VS20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • 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 G1 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Following is a in depth comparison of the Panasonic G1 and Pentax VS20, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the G1 (12MP) and VS20 (16MP) and the G1 (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The G1 was announced 4 years before the VS20 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic G1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the G1 grades versus the VS20 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G1 over the Pentax VS20

 G1 VS20 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Panasonic G1

 VS20 G1 
RevealedJanuary 2012January 2009More modern by 36 months

Common features in the Panasonic G1 and Pentax VS20

 G1 VS20 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Display resolution460k460kThe same display resolution
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Panasonic G1 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic G1 enjoys outside dimensions of 124mm x 84mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") having a weight of 360 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Pentax VS20 has dimensions of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") and a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

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Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the G1 and the VS20.

Panasonic G1 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the G1 and VS20 is 82 and 90 respectively.

Panasonic G1 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G1 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to envision the difference between sensor sizes merely by reading specs. The picture here will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the G1 and VS20.

As you can plainly see, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The G1 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Pentax VS20 will offer extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more aged G1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic G1 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G1 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G1 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G1 Portrait photography advice
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography advice
57
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
MP count low (12 megapixels)
36
manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G1 Street photography details
Pentax VS20 Street photography details
72
screen articulates fully
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (235 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic G1
Sports photography with Pentax VS20
33
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
low frames per second (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
lacks phase detect AF
44
great zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16MP)
includes tracking focus
slow fps (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic G1
Travel photography with Pentax VS20
62
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
missing Time Lapse function
MP count low (12 megapixels)
68
lighter than average in class (235 grams)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
decently wide (28mm)
very long reach (560mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G1 Landscape photography features
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography features
57
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
missing Time Lapse function
47
manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not available
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic G1
Vlogging with Pentax VS20
18
can't shoot video
30
decently wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (235g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic support
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Panasonic G1 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G1 and Pentax VS20
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Pentax Optio VS20
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2009-01-19 2012-01-25
Physical type 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 surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Highest boosted ISO 3200 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2500 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.50 m 2.80 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
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 360 gr (0.79 lbs) 235 gr (0.52 lbs)
Dimensions 124 x 84 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 53 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 463 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 pictures -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID - D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/MMC/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $0 $106