Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A850

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus VR-330 and Sony A850, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference among the resolutions of the VR-330 (14MP) and A850 (25MP) and the VR-330 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) provide different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The VR-330 was released 10 months later than the A850 and they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-330 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief view of how the VR-330 matches up against the A850 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VR-330 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The complete galleries are available at Olympus VR-330 Gallery and Sony A850 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera regularly, you need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus VR-330 has got external measurements of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Sony A850 has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Look at the Olympus VR-330 and Sony A850 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at that moment. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the VR-330 compared to the A850.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the VR-330 and A850 is 94 and 54 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very difficult to picture the difference in sensor measurements only by researching technical specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-330 and A850.

As you can tell, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The VR-330 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony A850 will render more detail as a result of its extra 11 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more recent VR-330 provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.