Olympus E-300 vs Olympus VR-340

The following is a in-depth assessment of the Olympus E-300 and Olympus VR-340, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are produced by Olympus. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and VR-340 (16MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and VR-340 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizes.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-300 was introduced 8 years prior to the VR-340 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-300 scores against the VR-340 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-300 & Olympus VR-340. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-300 Gallery & Olympus VR-340 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-300 enjoys exterior dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") along with a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) and the Olympus VR-340 has sizing of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-300 and Olympus VR-340 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at the time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-300 against the VR-340.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-300 and VR-340 is 67 and 96 respectively.

Quite often, it's tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions only by reading through a spec sheet. The picture here will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-300 and VR-340.

Clearly, both cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-300 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus VR-340 will give more detail using its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged E-300 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.