Olympus E-600 vs Olympus VR-320

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-600 and Olympus VR-320, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are designed by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-600 (12MP) and the VR-320 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the E-600 (Four Thirds) and VR-320 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-600 was revealed 22 months before the VR-320 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-600 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus VR-320 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-600 scores versus the VR-320 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-600 and Olympus VR-320. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-600 Gallery and Olympus VR-320 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera often, you have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-600 has got physical dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") with a weight of 515 grams (1.14 lbs) while the Olympus VR-320 has specifications of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-600 and Olympus VR-320 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-600 and the VR-320.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-600 and VR-320 is 71 and 94 respectively.

Typically, it can be hard to see the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading through specs. The visual underneath should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-600 and VR-320.

All in all, each of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-600 with its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus VR-320 will resolve extra detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-600 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.