Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic S5

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus VR-320 and Panasonic S5, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the VR-320 (14MP) and S5 (24MP) and the VR-320 (1/2.3") and S5 (Full frame) possess totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The VR-320 was unveiled 10 years before the S5 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VR-320 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple summation of how the VR-320 grades against the S5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VR-320 and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5. The full galleries are provided at Olympus VR-320 Gallery and Panasonic S5 Gallery.

When you are planning to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus VR-320 enjoys outside dimensions of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S5 has proportions of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") and a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus VR-320 and Panasonic S5 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the VR-320 versus the S5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VR-320 and S5 is 94 and 60 respectively.

More often than not, it is very difficult to envision the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reading through specs. The pic underneath should offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the VR-320 and S5.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The VR-320 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Panasonic S5 will give more detail having an extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged VR-320 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.