Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic GF8

Below, we are contrasting the Olympus VR-340 versus Panasonic GF8, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the GF8 (16MP) is fairly comparable but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and GF8 (Four Thirds) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The VR-340 was manufactured 5 years before the GF8 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GF8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief view of how the VR-340 scores versus the GF8 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VR-340 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus VR-340 Gallery & Panasonic GF8 Gallery.

If you're going to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus VR-340 has got exterior measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Panasonic GF8 has measurements of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 266 grams (0.59 lbs).

See the Olympus VR-340 versus Panasonic GF8 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the VR-340 versus the GF8.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VR-340 and GF8 is 96 and 90 respectively.

More often than not, it is very difficult to see the gap in sensor sizes merely by seeing technical specs. The picture below should give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-340 and GF8.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras posses the exact same megapixels but not the same sensor sizes. The VR-340 has the smaller sensor which is going to make achieving bokeh more challenging. The more aged VR-340 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.