Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic LZ30

Below is a thorough assessment of the Olympus VR-320 versus Panasonic LZ30, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the VR-320 (14MP) and the LZ30 (16MP) is pretty similar and both cameras offer the same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The VR-320 was manufactured 17 months earlier than the LZ30 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-320 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic LZ30 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a short summary of how the VR-320 matches up versus the LZ30 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VR-320 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ30. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus VR-320 Gallery and Panasonic LZ30 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus VR-320 enjoys external dimensions of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Panasonic LZ30 has specifications of 124mm x 84mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 3.6") along with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs).

Examine the Olympus VR-320 versus Panasonic LZ30 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the VR-320 and the LZ30.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the VR-320 and LZ30 is 94 and 66 respectively.

Generally, it is tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements only by going over technical specs. The photograph below might provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the VR-320 and LZ30.

As you can tell, both of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same megapixels. You should expect the Panasonic LZ30 to offer extra detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older VR-320 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.