Clicky

Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530

Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37
Pentax Optio VS20 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W530 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
21
Overall
30

Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530 Key Specs

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
Sony W530
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
  • 113g - 93 x 53 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2011
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Ultracompact by brands Pentax and Sony. The resolution of the VS20 (16MP) and the W530 (14MP) is pretty similar and both cameras have the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The VS20 was unveiled 13 months later than the W530 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera and the Sony W530 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick summation of how the VS20 scores vs the W530 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
	
	

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Sony W530

 VS20 W530 
IntroducedJanuary 2012January 2011More recent by 13 months
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W530 over the Pentax VS20

 W530 VS20 

Common features in the Pentax VS20 and Sony W530

 VS20 W530 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither offers Touch friendly screen

Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and proportions. The Pentax VS20 offers exterior dimensions of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") having a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs) while the Sony W530 has measurements of 93mm x 53mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") along with a weight of 113 grams (0.25 lbs).

Check out the Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the VS20 compared to the W530.

Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VS20 and W530 is 90 and 96 respectively.

Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530 top view buttons comparison

Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading a spec sheet. The graphic below should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the VS20 and W530.

Clearly, each of the cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Pentax VS20 to deliver more detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The fresher VS20 will have a benefit in sensor technology.

Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530 sensor size comparison

Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax VS20 Portrait photography features
Sony W530 Portrait photography features
36
manual focus
good MP (16MP)
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
28
decent MP (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Pentax VS20 Street photography highlights
Sony W530 Street photography highlights
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (235g)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
48
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Pentax VS20 as a Sports photography camera
Sony W530 as a Sports photography camera
44
amazing zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16MP)
features tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
26
decent MP (14MP)
slow fps (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Pentax VS20 as a Travel photography camera
Sony W530 as a Travel photography camera
68
lighter than others (235 grams)
good MP (16MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
great reach (560mm)
no Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.1)
65
decent MP (14MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (26mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.7)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Landscape Comparison

Pentax VS20 Landscape photography highlights
Sony W530 Landscape photography highlights
47
manual focus
fairly wide (28mm)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16 megapixels)
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not available
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
no Time Lapse mode
33
rather wide (26mm)
decent MP (14MP)
manual focus not available
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.7)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
lack of Timelapse mode
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Pentax VS20
Vlogging with Sony W530
30
fairly wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (235g)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external mic support
26
rather wide (26mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.7)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video resolution low (640 x 480 pxls)
lack of microphone jack
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Pentax VS20 vs Sony W530 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax VS20 and Sony W530
 Pentax Optio VS20Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W530
General Information
Company Pentax Sony
Model Pentax Optio VS20 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W530
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Announced 2012-01-25 2011-01-06
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor - BIONZ
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-560mm (20.0x) 26-104mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.1-4.8 f/2.7-5.7
Macro focus distance 3cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 2 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2500 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 2.80 m 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure 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 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 640x480
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 235 grams (0.52 lbs) 113 grams (0.25 lbs)
Physical dimensions 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") 93 x 53 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 model D-LI122 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $106 $269