Olympus VR-320 vs Ricoh GR

In this article, we are contrasting the Olympus VR-320 and Ricoh GR, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Ricoh. The sensor resolution of the VR-320 (14MP) and the GR (16MP) is fairly close but the VR-320 (1/2.3") and GR (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The VR-320 was unveiled 21 months before the GR making the cameras a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VR-320 being a Compact camera and the Ricoh GR being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the VR-320 grades versus the GR in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VR-320 and Ricoh GR. The full galleries are available at Olympus VR-320 Gallery and Ricoh GR Gallery.

If you are looking to travel with your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus VR-320 enjoys external measurements of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Ricoh GR has proportions of 117mm x 61mm x 35mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.4") and a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Olympus VR-320 and Ricoh GR in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at the time. The following is the front view size comparison of the VR-320 versus the GR.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VR-320 and GR is 94 and 90 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions merely by looking through a spec sheet. The image here will help offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-320 and GR.

As you can see, the two cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The VR-320 having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Ricoh GR will result in greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images far more aggressively. The more aged VR-320 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.