Pentax VS20 vs Sony A500

Here, we are evaluating the Pentax VS20 vs Sony A500, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Pentax and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the VS20 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the VS20 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

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The VS20 was released 2 years after the A500 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the VS20 grades vs the A500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax Optio VS20 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The complete galleries are provided at Pentax VS20 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Pentax VS20 has got external 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) and the Sony A500 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax VS20 vs Sony A500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the VS20 against the A500.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VS20 and A500 is 90 and 63 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes merely by checking technical specs. The pic below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the VS20 and A500.

As you have seen, each of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The VS20 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Pentax VS20 will resolve greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The younger VS20 provides a benefit with regard to sensor technology.