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Panasonic G5 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
74
Imaging
52
Features
66
Overall
57
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Panasonic G5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 120 x 83 x 71mm
  • Released July 2012
  • Superseded the Panasonic G3
  • Newer Model is Panasonic G6
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 G5 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Below, we will be contrasting the Panasonic G5 and Pentax VS20, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the G5 (16MP) and the VS20 (16MP) is relatively well matched but the G5 (Four Thirds) and VS20 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The G5 was brought out 6 months later than the VS20 and they are both of a similar age. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic G5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the G5 grades versus the VS20 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G5 over the Pentax VS20

 G5 VS20 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution920k460kSharper screen (+460k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Panasonic G5

 VS20 G5 

Common features in the Panasonic G5 and Pentax VS20

 G5 VS20 
LaunchedJuly 2012January 2012Similar age
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic G5 has got outside dimensions of 120mm x 83mm x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8") with a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) whilst the Pentax VS20 has measurements of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") with a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Check the Panasonic G5 and Pentax VS20 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view scale comparison of the G5 versus the VS20.

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the G5 and VS20 is 74 and 90 respectively.

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to imagine the difference between sensor measurements merely by looking at specifications. The photograph below should give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the G5 and VS20.

Plainly, both cameras posses the exact same megapixels albeit different sensor measurements. The G5 offers the bigger sensor which should make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult.

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G5 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G5 Portrait photography features
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography features
71
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
36
you can focus manually
MP count good (16MP)
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G5 Street photography factors
Pentax VS20 Street photography factors
66
fully articulated screen
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
has touch focus
lack of image stabilization
heavier than competitors (396 grams)
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (235 grams)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G5 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Sports photography camera
51
decent megapixels (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
slow fps (6.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
lack of phase detect auto focus
44
amazing zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Panasonic G5 Travel photography factors
Pentax VS20 Travel photography factors
66
has touch focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse mode
heavier than competitors (396 grams)
68
lighter than competitors (235g)
MP count good (16MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
very long reach (560mm)
missing Timelapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic G5
Landscape photography with Pentax VS20
65
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
decent megapixels (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse mode
47
you can focus manually
relatively wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G5 Vlogging features
Pentax VS20 Vlogging features
62
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
features face detection focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lack of image stabilization
lack of external mic support
heavier than competitors (396g)
30
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (235 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone support
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Panasonic G5 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G5 and Pentax VS20
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 Pentax Optio VS20
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2012-07-17 2012-01-25
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine VII FHD -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 160 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 23 3
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 920k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2500 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 6.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.50 m 2.80 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 396 gr (0.87 lb) 235 gr (0.52 lb)
Dimensions 120 x 83 x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 61 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 not tested
DXO Low light rating 618 not tested
Other
Battery life 320 photographs -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID - D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $699 $106