Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus VR-340

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PM1 versus Olympus VR-340, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are created by Olympus. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and VR-340 (16MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and VR-340 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PM1 was brought out very close to the VR-340 so they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-PM1 scores against the VR-340 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PM1 and Olympus VR-340. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PM1 Gallery and Olympus VR-340 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PM1 offers external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) while the Olympus VR-340 has specifications of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PM1 versus Olympus VR-340 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PM1 versus the VR-340.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PM1 and VR-340 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Usually, its tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements merely by going over specs. The photograph underneath will offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PM1 and VR-340.

All in all, both the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PM1 due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus VR-340 will offer you more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures more aggressively.