Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

The following is a comprehensive review of the Olympus VR-320 and Pentax K-5 IIs, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the VR-320 (14MP) and the K-5 IIs (16MP) is pretty well matched but the VR-320 (1/2.3") and K-5 IIs (APS-C) boast different sensor sizing.

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The VR-320 was manufactured 22 months prior to the K-5 IIs which makes them a generation away from one another. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VR-320 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving right into a full comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the VR-320 grades against the K-5 IIs with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VR-320 & Pentax K-5 IIs. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus VR-320 Gallery & Pentax K-5 IIs Gallery.

If you're aiming to travel with your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus VR-320 provides external dimensions of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 IIs has measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Check the Olympus VR-320 and Pentax K-5 IIs in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the VR-320 vs the K-5 IIs.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VR-320 and K-5 IIs is 94 and 60 respectively.

More often than not, its tough to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions simply by reading through technical specs. The picture underneath might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the VR-320 and K-5 IIs.

As you can tell, each of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The VR-320 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-5 IIs will give extra detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged VR-320 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.