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Pentax 645Z vs Pentax VS20

Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77
Pentax 645Z front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Introduced April 2014
  • Replaced the Pentax 645D
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
  • Released January 2012
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Pentax 645Z vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Pentax 645Z versus Pentax VS20, former being a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are offered by Pentax. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the 645Z (51MP) and VS20 (16MP) and the 645Z (Medium format) and VS20 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The 645Z was manufactured 2 years later than the VS20 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a more detailed comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the 645Z scores versus the VS20 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Pentax VS20

 645Z VS20 
ReleasedApril 2014January 2012Fresher by 28 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kClearer screen (+577k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Pentax 645Z

 VS20 645Z 

Common features in the Pentax 645Z and Pentax VS20

 645Z VS20 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Pentax 645Z comes with outside measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") having a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs) and the Pentax VS20 has dimensions of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") along with a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax 645Z versus Pentax VS20 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the 645Z and the VS20.

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 645Z and VS20 is 49 and 90 respectively.

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizing merely by reading through specifications. The photograph here may provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the 645Z and VS20.

To sum up, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The 645Z because of its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Pentax 645Z will resolve extra detail due to its extra 35MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The newer 645Z should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax 645Z Portrait photography advice
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography advice
88
focusing manually
megapixel count amazing (51 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
comes with face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
36
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Pentax 645Z Street photography factors
Pentax VS20 Street photography factors
63
tilting screen
sensor size is large (Medium format)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
above average ISO range (204,800)
no image stabilization
heavier than competitors in class (1,550g)
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (235g)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Pentax 645Z Sports photography info
Pentax VS20 Sports photography info
71
megapixel count amazing (51MP)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
terrible battery pack (650 per charge)
44
incredible zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax 645Z Travel photography info
Pentax VS20 Travel photography info
51
weather sealing
megapixel count amazing (51 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (650 shots)
heavier than competitors in class (1,550g)
screen is not selfie friendly
68
lighter than others (235 grams)
megapixel count good (16MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (28mm)
long reach (560mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
doesn't have selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax 645Z Landscape photography features
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography features
78
focusing manually
change lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
screen size is decent (3.2 inches)
megapixel count amazing (51 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
no anti-alias filter
above average ISO range (204,800)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
two card slots
no image stabilization
terrible battery pack (650 per charge)
47
manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not available
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax 645Z as a Vlogging camera
Pentax VS20 as a Vlogging camera
27
comes with face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external mic socket
screen is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
heavier than competitors in class (1,550 grams)
30
decently wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (235 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external mic port
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Pentax 645Z vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax 645Z and Pentax VS20
 Pentax 645ZPentax Optio VS20
General Information
Brand Pentax Pentax
Model type Pentax 645Z Pentax Optio VS20
Category Pro DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2014-04-15 2012-01-25
Body design Large SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip PRIME III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Medium format 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 44 x 33mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 1,452.0mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 51 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 8256 x 6192 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 204800 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 27 3
Lens
Lens mount type Pentax 645AF2 fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 6 -
Crop factor 0.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3.2 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.85x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2500 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 2.80 m
Flash options Flash On, Flash On+Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync+Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, contrast-control-sync, high-speed sync, wireless sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/125 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p,24p) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 1550 gr (3.42 lbs) 235 gr (0.52 lbs)
Dimensions 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 101 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 26.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.7 not tested
DXO Low light rating 4505 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 pictures -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery ID D-LI90 D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 2 One
Retail pricing $5,024 $106