Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-50

Below is a detailed overview of the Olympus VR-320 versus Pentax K-50, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the VR-320 (14MP) and the K-50 (16MP) is relatively close but the VR-320 (1/2.3") and K-50 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizing.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The VR-320 was launched 3 years before the K-50 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VR-320 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-50 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a in depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the VR-320 scores versus the K-50 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VR-320 & Pentax K-50. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus VR-320 Gallery & Pentax K-50 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus VR-320 offers 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 Pentax K-50 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus VR-320 versus Pentax K-50 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using during that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the VR-320 compared to the K-50.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VR-320 and K-50 is 94 and 63 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor measurements purely by looking through specifications. The photograph below might offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the VR-320 and K-50.

Plainly, both of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The VR-320 due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Pentax K-50 will result in extra detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older VR-320 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.