Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VR-330

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus VR-330, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are built by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the VR-330 (14MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and VR-330 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL5 was revealed 20 months after the VR-330 making the cameras a generation away from one another. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VR-330 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-PL5 matches up vs the VR-330 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Olympus VR-330. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Olympus VR-330 Gallery.

For those who are going to travel with your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL5 has exterior dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Olympus VR-330 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).

Check the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus VR-330 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL5 against the VR-330.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and VR-330 is 88 and 94 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be hard to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by going over technical specs. The pic underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL5 and VR-330.

As you have seen, the two cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL5 will deliver extra detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more modern E-PL5 should have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.