Clicky

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax VS20

Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS30
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 198g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Announced January 2013
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Old Model is Panasonic ZS25
  • New Model is Panasonic ZS35
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
  • Announced January 2012
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic ZS30 and Pentax VS20, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by brands Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the ZS30 (18MP) and the VS20 (16MP) is relatively well matched and both cameras boast the identical sensor size (1/2.3").

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The ZS30 was revealed 12 months later than the VS20 so they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the ZS30 scores against the VS20 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Pentax VS20

 ZS30 VS20 
AnnouncedJanuary 2013January 2012More recent by 12 months
Screen resolution920k460kSharper screen (+460k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Panasonic ZS30

 VS20 ZS30 
Focus manually Dial exact focus

Common features in the Panasonic ZS30 and Pentax VS20

 ZS30 VS20 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen size
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera, you will want to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS30 comes with outer dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs) whilst the Pentax VS20 has dimensions of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") having a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS30 and Pentax VS20 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the ZS30 compared to the VS20.

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the ZS30 and VS20 is 92 and 90 respectively.

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading through specs. The photograph here should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS30 and VS20.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit different resolution. You should count on the Panasonic ZS30 to give you more detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more modern ZS30 should have an edge in sensor technology.

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 Portrait photography information
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography information
33
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
36
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 as a Street photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Street photography camera
66
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes focus by touch
lighter than competition in class (198g)
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (235 grams)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 Sports photography details
Pentax VS20 Sports photography details
46
long zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
features tracking focus
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,200s)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (260 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
44
great zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 Travel photography factors
Pentax VS20 Travel photography factors
69
lighter than competition in class (198g)
includes focus by touch
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
great zoom (480mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (260 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
68
lighter than competitors (235 grams)
decent megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (28mm)
long zoom (560mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography highlights
44
pretty wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
bad battery pack (260 per charge)
does not have Timelapse recording
47
has manual focus
rather wide (28mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not available
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
does not have Time Lapse mode
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax VS20 as a Vlogging camera
35
pretty wide (24mm)
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (198g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone support
30
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (235 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external mic support
Photography Glossary

Panasonic ZS30 vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS30 and Pentax VS20
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30Pentax Optio VS20
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Pentax
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 Pentax Optio VS20
Alternative name Lumix DMC-TZ40 -
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2013-01-07 2012-01-25
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4896 x 3672 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 23 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-480mm (20.0x) 28-560mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.3-6.4 f/3.1-4.8
Macro focus range 3cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 920k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1200 seconds 1/2500 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.40 m 2.80 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file 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 BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 198g (0.44 lbs) 235g (0.52 lbs)
Physical dimensions 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") 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 260 photographs -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model - D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $250 $106