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Pentax KP vs Pentax VS20

Portability
61
Imaging
67
Features
76
Overall
70
Pentax KP front
 
Pentax Optio VS20 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37

Pentax KP vs Pentax VS20 Key Specs

Pentax KP
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 819200
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 703g - 132 x 101 x 76mm
  • Announced January 2017
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
  • Revealed January 2012
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Pentax KP vs Pentax VS20 Overview

Below is a extended comparison of the Pentax KP versus Pentax VS20, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both designed by Pentax. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the KP (24MP) and VS20 (16MP) and the KP (APS-C) and VS20 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The KP was launched 5 years later than the VS20 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Pentax KP being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a thorough comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the KP grades vs the VS20 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax KP over the Pentax VS20

 KP VS20 
RevealedJanuary 2017January 2012More recent by 61 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Pentax KP

 VS20 KP 

Common features in the Pentax KP and Pentax VS20

 KP VS20 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Pentax KP vs Pentax VS20 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Pentax KP comes with exterior dimensions of 132mm x 101mm x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0") along with a weight of 703 grams (1.55 lbs) while the Pentax VS20 has proportions of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") with a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs).

Look at the Pentax KP versus Pentax VS20 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the KP vs the VS20.

Pentax KP vs Pentax VS20 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the KP and VS20 is 61 and 90 respectively.

Pentax KP vs Pentax VS20 top view buttons comparison

Pentax KP vs Pentax VS20 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be hard to envision the contrast between sensor measurements merely by going over a spec sheet. The photograph below may give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the KP and VS20.

As you can see, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The KP due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Pentax KP will deliver more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The fresher KP will have an edge in sensor technology.

Pentax KP vs Pentax VS20 sensor size comparison

Pentax KP vs Pentax VS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax KP vs Pentax VS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax KP Portrait photography info
Pentax VS20 Portrait photography info
80
has manual focus
decent MP (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection focus
saves RAW files
36
manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Pentax KP as a Street photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Street photography camera
76
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
weather sealing
very good high ISO (819,200)
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (235 grams)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Pentax KP as a Sports photography camera
Pentax VS20 as a Sports photography camera
72
great max shutter speed (1/6,000s)
silent mode (1/24,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
bad battery (390 shots)
has no phase detect auto focus
44
excellent zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
offers tracking focus
low frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Pentax KP
Travel photography with Pentax VS20
61
weather sealing
decent MP (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
bad battery (390 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
68
lighter than average in class (235 grams)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
long zoom (560mm)
no Time Lapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax KP Landscape photography information
Pentax VS20 Landscape photography information
77
has manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
very good high ISO (819,200)
saves RAW files
weather sealing
bad battery (390 per charge)
47
manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
screen size is decent (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
no manual exposure
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax KP Vlogging advice
Pentax VS20 Vlogging advice
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external microphone port
screen isn't selfie friendly
30
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (235 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic jack
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Pentax KP vs Pentax VS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax KP and Pentax VS20
 Pentax KPPentax Optio VS20
General Information
Brand Pentax Pentax
Model Pentax KP Pentax Optio VS20
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2017-01-26 2012-01-25
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip PRIME IV -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 6016 x 4000 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 819200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 27 3
Cross focus points 25 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Pentax KAF2 fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-560mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-4.8
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Total lenses 151 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 921k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.63x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/6000 secs 1/2500 secs
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/24000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 7.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.00 m (at ISO 100) 2.80 m
Flash settings Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual, wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 30p) 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 input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 703 grams (1.55 pounds) 235 grams (0.52 pounds)
Physical dimensions 132 x 101 x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0") 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 390 images -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model D-LI109 D-LI122
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $747 $106