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Olympus VR-330 vs Sony S980

Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
38
Overall
37
Olympus VR-330 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Olympus VR-330
(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
  • Announced February 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus VR-320
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Introduced February 2009
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Olympus VR-330 vs Sony S980 Overview

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus VR-330 versus Sony S980, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the VR-330 (14MP) and the S980 (12MP) is fairly comparable and both cameras have the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The VR-330 was released 2 years after the S980 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the VR-330 scores against the S980 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VR-330 over the Sony S980

 VR-330 S980 
IntroducedFebruary 2011February 2009More modern by 25 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Olympus VR-330

 S980 VR-330 
Focus manually More exact focusing

Common features in the Olympus VR-330 and Sony S980

 VR-330 S980 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch display Neither includes Touch display

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera often, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus VR-330 features exterior measurements of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus VR-330 versus Sony S980 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the VR-330 versus the S980.

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony S980 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the VR-330 and S980 is 94 and 94 respectively.

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Often, its difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizes purely by going through specifications. The pic below might offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the VR-330 and S980.

To sum up, the 2 cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different megapixels. You can anticipate the Olympus VR-330 to produce extra detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The more modern VR-330 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VR-330 Portrait photography info
Sony S980 Portrait photography info
33
megapixel count good (14MP)
features face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
27
has manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus VR-330 as a Street photography camera
Sony S980 as a Street photography camera
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average (158g)
screen is fixed
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
47
fixed screen
no image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus VR-330
Sports photography with Sony S980
47
long zoom range (24-300mm 12.5 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
features tracking focus
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
17
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VR-330 Travel photography info
Sony S980 Travel photography info
70
lighter than average (158g)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
decently wide (24mm)
great zoom (300mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
51
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not posses selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VR-330 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony S980 as a Landscape photography camera
42
decently wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
no manual control
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
missing Time Lapse recording
27
has manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inches)
no manual mode
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
does not have Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VR-330 Vlogging details
Sony S980 Vlogging details
32
decently wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect autofocus
lighter than average (158g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
display isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing mic port
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic support
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Olympus VR-330 vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VR-330 and Sony S980
 Olympus VR-330Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VR-330 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2011-02-08 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Lowest native ISO 80 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-300mm (12.5x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-5.9 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus range 1cm 10cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 2 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate - 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.70 m 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic 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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 158g (0.35 pounds) 167g (0.37 pounds)
Physical dimensions 101 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 model LI-42B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots One One
Price at release $220 $300