Olympus VR-330 vs Panasonic LZ40

The following is a in depth review of the Olympus VR-330 versus Panasonic LZ40, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference between the resolutions of the VR-330 (14MP) and LZ40 (20MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The VR-330 was released 3 years earlier than the LZ40 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-330 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic LZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick summary of how the VR-330 scores against the LZ40 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VR-330 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ40. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus VR-330 Gallery and Panasonic LZ40 Gallery.

For those who are looking to travel with your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus VR-330 has outer dimensions of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Panasonic LZ40 has specifications of 126mm x 87mm x 94mm (5.0" x 3.4" x 3.7") along with a weight of 524 grams (1.16 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus VR-330 versus Panasonic LZ40 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the VR-330 against the LZ40.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the VR-330 and LZ40 is 94 and 67 respectively.

In many cases, it is hard to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions just by checking specs. The pic here might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the VR-330 and LZ40.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You should expect to see the Panasonic LZ40 to give greater detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The more aged VR-330 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.