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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VR-340

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Olympus VR-340 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VR-340 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Launched September 2012
Olympus VR-340
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-240mm (F3.0-5.7) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2012
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VR-340 Overview

On this page, we are matching up the Olympus E-PL5 versus Olympus VR-340, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are offered by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the VR-340 (16MP) is fairly close but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and VR-340 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL5 was released 9 months later than the VR-340 and they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-PL5 grades vs the VR-340 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Olympus VR-340

 E-PL5 VR-340 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012January 2012More recent by 9 months
Focus manually More precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus VR-340 over the Olympus E-PL5

 VR-340 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus VR-340

 E-PL5 VR-340 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Display resolution460k460kExact same display resolution

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VR-340 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL5 comes with physical measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Olympus VR-340 has specifications of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL5 versus Olympus VR-340 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL5 vs the VR-340.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VR-340 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and VR-340 is 88 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VR-340 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VR-340 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to see the contrast in sensor measurements just by researching technical specs. The photograph underneath might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and VR-340.

As you can tell, each of the cameras provide the same megapixels but not the same sensor measurements. The E-PL5 uses the larger sensor which should make achieving shallow DOF simpler. The newer E-PL5 will have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VR-340 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VR-340 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VR-340 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography details
Olympus VR-340 Portrait photography details
71
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focusing
exports RAW files
34
decent MP (16 megapixels)
features face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Street photography camera
Olympus VR-340 as a Street photography camera
85
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
boasts touch focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
63
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (125g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL5
Sports photography with Olympus VR-340
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
no phase detect AF
44
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography details
Olympus VR-340 Travel photography details
75
boasts touch focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
does not have Timelapse recording
69
lighter than average in class (125 grams)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
does not have Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography features
Olympus VR-340 Landscape photography features
74
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
does not have Timelapse recording
43
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual exposure
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging factors
Olympus VR-340 Vlogging factors
78
selfie friendly display
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have microphone port
33
reasonably wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detection focusing
lighter than average in class (125 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone port
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VR-340 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus VR-340
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Olympus VR-340
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Olympus VR-340
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2012-09-17 2012-01-10
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 35 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-240mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.0-5.7
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 4.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 grams (0.72 lb) 125 grams (0.28 lb)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photographs -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $400 $130