Olympus 1s vs Olympus VR-340

Here, we are looking at the Olympus 1s versus Olympus VR-340, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are designed by Olympus. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the 1s (12MP) and VR-340 (16MP) and the 1s (1/1.7") and VR-340 (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The 1s was introduced 3 years later than the VR-340 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 1s being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the 1s matches up vs the VR-340 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus 1s & Olympus VR-340. The whole galleries are available at Olympus 1s Gallery & Olympus VR-340 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus 1s comes with outer dimensions of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") with a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs) while 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).

See the Olympus 1s versus Olympus VR-340 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the 1s compared to the VR-340.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the 1s and VR-340 is 79 and 96 respectively.

In many cases, it can be difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements merely by looking at a spec sheet. The graphic below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the 1s and VR-340.

Clearly, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The 1s with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus VR-340 will resolve more detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The fresher 1s provides a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.