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Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500

Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
35
Overall
36
Olympus VR-320 front
 
Sony Alpha a3500 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500 Key Specs

Olympus VR-320
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-300mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
  • 158g - 101 x 58 x 29mm
  • Introduced July 2011
  • Successor is Olympus VR-330
Sony a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Announced March 2014
  • Superseded the Sony A3000
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Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the VR-320 (14MP) and a3500 (20MP) and the VR-320 (1/2.3") and a3500 (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

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The VR-320 was revealed 3 years earlier than the a3500 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-320 being a Compact camera and the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a short summary of how the VR-320 matches up versus the a3500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VR-320 over the Sony a3500

 VR-320 a3500 

Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Olympus VR-320

 a3500 VR-320 
AnnouncedMarch 2014July 2011More recent by 32 months
Focus manually More precise focus

Common features in the Olympus VR-320 and Sony a3500

 VR-320 a3500 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Display resolution230k230kSame display resolution
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus VR-320 enjoys outside measurements of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Sony a3500 has specifications of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at the time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the VR-320 against the a3500.

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the VR-320 and a3500 is 94 and 69 respectively.

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very tough to picture the difference between sensor measurements merely by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-320 and a3500.

As you can see, both cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The VR-320 having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony a3500 will offer you greater detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older VR-320 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500 sensor size comparison

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VR-320 Portrait photography highlights
Sony a3500 Portrait photography highlights
33
megapixel count good (14MP)
offers face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
77
you can focus manually
MP count good (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VR-320 Street photography features
Sony a3500 Street photography features
62
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (158g)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
57
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
more heavy than competitors in class (411 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VR-320 as a Sports photography camera
Sony a3500 as a Sports photography camera
47
excellent zoom range (24-300mm 12.5 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14MP)
offers tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
60
MP count good (20MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking focus
great battery power (470 per charge)
low fps (4.0 fps)
no image stabilization
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus VR-320
Travel photography with Sony a3500
70
lighter than competition (158g)
megapixel count good (14MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (24mm)
long zoom (300mm)
no Time Lapse mode
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.0)
60
great battery power (470 CIPA)
MP count good (20MP)
flash built-in
no Timelapse mode
more heavy than competitors in class (411 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus VR-320
Landscape photography with Sony a3500
42
fairly wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual exposure
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
no Time Lapse mode
70
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
great battery power (470 per charge)
no image stabilization
no Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VR-320 Vlogging highlights
Sony a3500 Vlogging highlights
32
fairly wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection autofocus
lighter than competition (158g)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external mic support
26
has face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
no microphone support
more heavy than competitors in class (411g)
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Olympus VR-320 vs Sony a3500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VR-320 and Sony a3500
 Olympus VR-320Sony Alpha a3500
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VR-320 Sony Alpha a3500
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2011-07-19 2014-03-21
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III BIONZ image
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4288 x 3216 5456 x 3632
Highest native ISO 1600 16000
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 24-300mm (12.5x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.0-5.9 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Available lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech TFT Color LCD TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.47x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate - 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.70 m 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 1920 x 1080
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 158 gr (0.35 lbs) 411 gr (0.91 lbs)
Physical dimensions 101 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 470 pictures
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-42B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC -
Card slots One One
Price at launch $179 $398