Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VR-320

On this page, we are matching up the Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VR-320, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both sold by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the VR-320 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and VR-320 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL1s was announced 8 months before the VR-320 and they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VR-320 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-PL1s scores against the VR-320 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s and Olympus VR-320. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery and Olympus VR-320 Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1s comes with exterior dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Olympus VR-320 has dimensions of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VR-320 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are employing during that time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1s versus the VR-320.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and VR-320 is 86 and 94 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements just by checking out specifications. The photograph here will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and VR-320.

Plainly, both of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s using its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus VR-320 will provide greater detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL1s will be behind in sensor innovation.