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Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
96
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Panasonic S1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Announced January 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
  • Introduced January 2012
Photography Glossary

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the S1 (12MP) and VS20 (16MP) but they use the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The S1 was manufactured 12 months before the VS20 and they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the S1 scores vs the VS20 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic S1 over the Pentax VS20

 S1 VS20 

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Panasonic S1

 VS20 S1 
IntroducedJanuary 2012January 2011Newer by 12 months
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic S1 and Pentax VS20

 S1 VS20 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera often, you will have to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic S1 enjoys outer measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Pentax VS20 has sizing of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Check the Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the S1 and the VS20.

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the S1 and VS20 is 96 and 90 respectively.

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's tough to envision the difference between sensor dimensions simply by going over specs. The picture below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the S1 and VS20.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same megapixels. You should expect the Pentax VS20 to offer you more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop shots far more aggressively. The more aged S1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic S1 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography highlights
21
manual focus not available
no manual control
no external flash support
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
36
focusing manually
decent MP (16MP)
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic S1 as a Street photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Street photography camera
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (117g)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (235 grams)
screen is fixed
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic S1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Sports photography camera
27
image stabilization (Optical)
no shutter priority mode
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
44
long zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
max fps low (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic S1 Travel photography factors
Pentax VS20 Travel photography factors
62
lighter than competitors in class (117g)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
68
lighter than competition in class (235 grams)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (28mm)
great zoom (560mm)
missing Timelapse function
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic S1 Landscape photography info
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography info
32
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
no manual control
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
47
focusing manually
really wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not available
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic S1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax VS20 as a Vlogging camera
31
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (117 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic socket
30
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (235g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external microphone port
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Panasonic S1 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S1 and Pentax VS20
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 Pentax Optio VS20
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2011-01-05 2012-01-25
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine IV -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 11 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) 28-560mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.1-5.6 f/3.1-4.8
Macro focus distance 5cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT LCD TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/2500 secs
Continuous shooting speed - 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.30 m 2.80 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 117 grams (0.26 lb) 235 grams (0.52 lb)
Dimensions 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") 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 240 images -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model - D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $269 $106