Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, We are going to illustrate Samsung NX100 and Pentax VS20 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Samsung NX100 has external dimensions of 120 x 71 x 35 mm (4.72 x 2.8 x 1.38″) and weighs 282 g (0.62 lb / 9.95 oz) (including batteries). Pentax VS20 has external dimensions of 111 x 61 x 38 mm (4.37 x 2.4 x 1.5″) and weighs 235 g (0.52 lb / 8.29 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Samsung NX100 and Pentax VS20. Pentax VS20 is 9mm narrower and 10mm shorter than Samsung NX100 but it is also 3mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Pentax VS20 has a built-in lens but Samsung NX100 doesn't. Once you put a lens on NX100, its thickness will increase significantly.
Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Pentax VS20 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Samsung NX100 and Pentax VS20.
Top View Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Pentax VS20 Size
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Pentax VS20 is significantly lighter (47g ) than the Samsung NX100 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on NX100, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
Unfortunately neither Samsung NX100 nor Pentax Optio VS20 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections: Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
LCD Screen Size and Features
Samsung NX100 and Pentax VS20's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".
Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Samsung NX100 has a 15.0MP APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DRIMe Engine processor. On the other hand, Pentax VS20 has a 16.0MP 1/2.3" (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor .
Below you can see the NX100 and VS20 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Pentax VS20 Cameras
As seen above, Samsung NX100 has a 13.2x Larger sensor area than Pentax VS20. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
In this section, we rank and compare Samsung NX100 and Pentax VS20 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.
Samsung NX100 for Portrait Photography
Pentax VS20 for Portrait Photography
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Samsung NX100 for Street Photography
Pentax VS20 for Street Photography
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Samsung NX100 for Sports Photography
Pentax VS20 for Sports Photography
Image Stabilization
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
15 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
560 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2500s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
3 Focus Points
Read the details
Samsung NX100 for Daily Photography
Pentax VS20 for Daily Photography
Compact Body
235g
20.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Samsung NX100 for Landscape Photography
Pentax VS20 for Landscape Photography
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Samsung NX100 and Pentax VS20, below you can find their scores in five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.
Here is a summary of how Samsung NX100 and Pentax VS20 scores compare:
Samsung NX100
Ranked
#100 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#425 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Pentax VS20
Ranked
#283 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked
#901 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Samsung NX100 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Pentax VS20 in all criteria except one: Portability. But the size difference between these cameras are negligible in real world so it is not a big disadvantage for Samsung NX100.
General |
Samsung NX100 |
Pentax Optio VS20 |
Brand |
Samsung |
Pentax |
Announced |
2010-09-14 |
2012-01-25 |
Body Type |
Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Compact |
Sensor |
|
|
Type |
CMOS |
CCD |
Size |
APS-C |
1/2.3" |
Dimensions |
23.4 x 15.6 mm |
6.08 x 4.56 mm |
Area |
365.04mm2 |
27.72mm2 |
Megapixels |
15 megapixels |
16 megapixels |
Max Resolution |
4592 x 3056 |
4608 x 3456 |
Max Native Light sensitivity |
6,400 ISO |
6,400 ISO |
Min Native Light sensitivity |
100 ISO |
100 ISO |
RAW Support |
|
|
Autofocus |
|
|
AF Touch |
|
|
AF Continuous |
|
|
AF Single |
|
|
AF Tracking |
|
|
AF Selective |
|
|
AF Center |
|
|
AF Multi Area |
|
|
AF Live View |
|
|
AF Face Detection |
|
|
AF Contrast Detection |
|
|
AF Phase Detection |
|
|
Number of Focus Points |
15 |
3 |
Lens |
|
|
Manual Focus |
|
|
Lens Mount |
Samsung NX |
fixed lens |
Lens Focal Range |
no lens |
28-560 mm (20×) |
Max Aperture |
no lens |
F3.1-4.8 |
Macro Focus Range |
no lens |
3cm |
Screen |
|
|
Type |
Fixed type |
Fixed type |
Size |
3" |
3" |
Resolution |
614k dots |
460k dots |
Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
Viewfinder |
Electronic (optional) |
None |
Photography Features |
|
|
Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/4000s |
1/2500s |
Shutter Priority |
|
|
Aperture Priority |
|
|
Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
Custom White Balance |
|
|
Image Stabilization |
Digital only |
Sensor-shift |
Built-in Flash |
|
|
Flash Range |
no built-in flash |
2.80 m |
Max Flash Sync |
1/180s |
s |
External Flash |
|
|
Continuous Shooting |
3.0 fps |
1.0 fps |
Multi-Segment |
|
|
Average |
|
|
Spot |
|
|
Partial |
|
|
AF-Area |
|
|
Center Weighted |
|
|
AE Bracketing |
|
|
WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
Max Video Resolution |
1280 x 720 |
1280 x 720 |
Video Formats |
H.264 |
Motion JPEG |
Microphone Port |
|
|
Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
Wireless Connectivity |
None |
Eye-Fi Connected |
HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
Environmental Sealing |
|
|
Weight |
282g |
235g |
Dimensions |
120 x 71 x 35mm |
111 x 61 x 38mm |
Battery Life |
420 shots |
n/a |
Other Features |
|
|
Timelapse Recording |
|
|
GPS |
Optional |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
DxO Overall Score |
62 |
not tested |
DxO Color Depth |
22.6 |
not tested |
DxO Dynamic Range |
10.7 |
not tested |
DxO Low Light ISO |
563 |
not tested |
|
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