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Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic ZS50

Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
35
Overall
36
Olympus VR-320 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 front
Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
57
Overall
45

Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic ZS50 Key Specs

Olympus VR-320
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-300mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
  • 158g - 101 x 58 x 29mm
  • Revealed July 2011
  • Later Model is Olympus VR-330
Panasonic ZS50
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 243g - 111 x 65 x 34mm
  • Announced January 2015
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ70
  • Older Model is Panasonic ZS45
  • Successor is Panasonic ZS60
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Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic ZS50 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus VR-320 and Panasonic ZS50, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the VR-320 (14MP) and the ZS50 (12MP) is very similar and both cameras boast the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The VR-320 was released 4 years prior to the ZS50 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before delving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a short summation of how the VR-320 grades vs the ZS50 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VR-320 over the Panasonic ZS50

 VR-320 ZS50 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS50 over the Olympus VR-320

 ZS50 VR-320 
AnnouncedJanuary 2015July 2011Fresher by 42 months
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Display resolution1040k230kSharper display (+810k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VR-320 and Panasonic ZS50

 VR-320 ZS50 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch display Absent Touch display

Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic ZS50 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry your camera often, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VR-320 comes with external 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) while the Panasonic ZS50 has dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).

Compare the Olympus VR-320 and Panasonic ZS50 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you choose during that time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the VR-320 vs the ZS50.

Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic ZS50 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VR-320 and ZS50 is 94 and 90 respectively.

Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic ZS50 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic ZS50 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is difficult to picture the gap between sensor sizing purely by reviewing specifications. The graphic below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the VR-320 and ZS50.

To sum up, the two cameras come with the identical sensor size but different MP. You should expect to see the Olympus VR-320 to offer you extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older VR-320 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic ZS50 sensor size comparison

Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VR-320 Portrait photography features
Panasonic ZS50 Portrait photography features
33
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
offers face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
42
has manual focus
has face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
can't use external flash
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus VR-320
Street photography with Panasonic ZS50
62
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (158 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
68
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
lighter than others in class (243g)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VR-320 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZS50 as a Sports photography camera
47
excellent zoom range (24-300mm 12.5 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
43
great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has tracking autofocus
MP count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VR-320 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS50 as a Travel photography camera
70
lighter than average in class (158g)
decent megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (24mm)
long zoom (300mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
66
lighter than others in class (243 grams)
flash built-in
pretty wide (24mm)
great reach (720mm)
MP count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VR-320 Landscape photography details
Panasonic ZS50 Landscape photography details
42
rather wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse function
51
has manual focus
pretty wide (24mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VR-320 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS50 as a Vlogging camera
32
rather wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focusing
lighter than average in class (158 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external microphone port
34
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others in class (243 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone port
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Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic ZS50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VR-320 and Panasonic ZS50
 Olympus VR-320Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus VR-320 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-TZ70
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2011-07-19 2015-01-06
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 80 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 23
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-300mm (12.5x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-5.9 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing range 1cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 1,040 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,166 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.46x
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed - 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.70 m 6.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 158 grams (0.35 lb) 243 grams (0.54 lb)
Physical dimensions 101 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 111 x 65 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 44
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.2
DXO Low light rating not tested 138
Other
Battery life - 300 photos
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-42B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch cost $179 $350