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Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Olympus VR-320 front
Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
35
Overall
36

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320 Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Announced July 2009
  • Renewed by Olympus E-P2
Olympus VR-320
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-300mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
  • 158g - 101 x 58 x 29mm
  • Released July 2011
  • New Model is Olympus VR-330
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Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320 Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are designed by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-P1 (12MP) and the VR-320 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and VR-320 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizing.

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The E-P1 was brought out 24 months prior to the VR-320 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VR-320 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-P1 scores against the VR-320 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Olympus VR-320

 E-P1 VR-320 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing

Reasons to pick Olympus VR-320 over the Olympus E-P1

 VR-320 E-P1 
ReleasedJuly 2011July 2009Fresher by 24 months

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Olympus VR-320

 E-P1 VR-320 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P1 provides physical dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") along with a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Olympus VR-320 has proportions of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs).

See the Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Below is a front view size comparison of the E-P1 compared to the VR-320.

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P1 and VR-320 is 86 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very hard to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing merely by reviewing specs. The visual underneath will give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P1 and VR-320.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-P1 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh simpler and the Olympus VR-320 will offer you more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-P1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography info
Olympus VR-320 Portrait photography info
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
33
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
provides face detect focus
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography info
Olympus VR-320 Street photography info
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
fixed screen
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (158 grams)
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus VR-320 as a Sports photography camera
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
low MP (12 megapixels)
low battery (300 CIPA)
does not have phase detect autofocus
47
great zoom range (24-300mm 12.5 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
provides tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Travel photography advice
Olympus VR-320 Travel photography advice
43
no Time Lapse recording
low battery (300 shots)
low MP (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
70
lighter than average in class (158 grams)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (24mm)
great zoom (300mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P1
Landscape photography with Olympus VR-320
60
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
low battery (300 shots)
no Time Lapse recording
42
rather wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual exposure
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging features
Olympus VR-320 Vlogging features
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external mic support
32
rather wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focus
lighter than average in class (158g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have mic jack
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Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus VR-320 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Olympus VR-320
 Olympus PEN E-P1Olympus VR-320
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-P1 Olympus VR-320
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2009-07-29 2011-07-19
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic V TruePic III
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 6400 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW format
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 11 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-300mm (12.5x)
Highest aperture - f/3.0-5.9
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.70 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 355g (0.78 lb) 158g (0.35 lb)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 101 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 shots -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-1 LI-42B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $182 $179