Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A290

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A290, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the VR-330 (14MP) and the A290 (14MP) is very well matched but the VR-330 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) posses different sensor measurements.

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The VR-330 was unveiled 9 months later than the A290 so they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VR-330 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a full comparison, here is a quick summation of how the VR-330 matches up vs the A290 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VR-330 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The full galleries are provided at Olympus VR-330 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera, you have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus VR-330 features physical measurements of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Sony A290 has specifications of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Look at the Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A290 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the VR-330 versus the A290.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VR-330 and A290 is 94 and 66 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizing purely by checking technical specs. The photograph underneath will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-330 and A290.

As you have seen, each of the cameras feature the identical megapixel count but different sensor sizing. The VR-330 has got the tinier sensor which will make obtaining shallow depth of field trickier. The newer VR-330 provides a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.