Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II

Below is a in depth overview of the Olympus VR-340 versus Panasonic FZ1000 II, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the FZ1000 II (20MP) is fairly similar but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and FZ1000 II (1") enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The VR-340 was unveiled 8 years earlier than the FZ1000 II and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go through a full comparison, below is a simple summary of how the VR-340 scores against the FZ1000 II when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VR-340 and Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II. The full galleries are available at Olympus VR-340 Gallery and Panasonic FZ1000 II Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera, you're going to have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus VR-340 offers outside measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FZ1000 II has specifications of 136mm x 97mm x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2") accompanied by a weight of 808 grams (1.78 lbs).

Compare the Olympus VR-340 versus Panasonic FZ1000 II in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is the front view scale comparison of the VR-340 against the FZ1000 II.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the VR-340 and FZ1000 II is 96 and 55 respectively.

Generally, it can be tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading technical specs. The graphic here may give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-340 and FZ1000 II.

As you have seen, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The VR-340 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Panasonic FZ1000 II will offer you greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images much more aggressively. The older VR-340 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.