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Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic GX8

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus VR-340 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 front
Portability
74
Imaging
59
Features
84
Overall
69

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic GX8 Key Specs

Olympus VR-340
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-240mm (F3.0-5.7) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Released January 2012
Panasonic GX8
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 487g - 133 x 78 x 63mm
  • Introduced July 2015
  • Superseded the Panasonic GX7
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Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic GX8 Overview

The following is a complete review of the Olympus VR-340 and Panasonic GX8, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the GX8 (20MP) is relatively close but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and GX8 (Four Thirds) come with different sensor measurements.

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The VR-340 was released 4 years prior to the GX8 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GX8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief summation of how the VR-340 grades versus the GX8 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus VR-340 over the Panasonic GX8

 VR-340 GX8 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GX8 over the Olympus VR-340

 GX8 VR-340 
IntroducedJuly 2015January 2012Newer by 42 months
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k460kSharper screen (+580k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus VR-340 and Panasonic GX8

 VR-340 GX8 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic GX8 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to travel with your camera, you will need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus VR-340 has external 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 GX8 has measurements of 133mm x 78mm x 63mm (5.2" x 3.1" x 2.5") along with a weight of 487 grams (1.07 lbs).

Examine the Olympus VR-340 and Panasonic GX8 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the VR-340 against the GX8.

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic GX8 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VR-340 and GX8 is 96 and 74 respectively.

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic GX8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic GX8 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very tough to imagine the difference in sensor dimensions purely by researching a spec sheet. The image here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the VR-340 and GX8.

Clearly, each of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The VR-340 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic GX8 will render greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged VR-340 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic GX8 sensor size comparison

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic GX8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic GX8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Portrait photography info
Panasonic GX8 Portrait photography info
34
good resolution (16 megapixels)
comes with face detect focusing
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
75
you can focus manually
MP count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Street photography info
Panasonic GX8 Street photography info
63
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (125 grams)
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
80
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
supports focus by touch
environment proof
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Sports photography information
Panasonic GX8 Sports photography information
44
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16MP)
comes with tracking focus
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
68
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/16,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proof
not so great battery life (330 per charge)
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Travel photography factors
Panasonic GX8 Travel photography factors
69
lighter than others in class (125 grams)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (24mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
73
environment proof
supports focus by touch
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery life (330 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Landscape photography info
Panasonic GX8 Landscape photography info
43
fairly wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
does not have Timelapse recording
76
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
not so great battery life (330 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus VR-340
Vlogging with Panasonic GX8
33
fairly wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detect focusing
lighter than others in class (125g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
display isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone socket
81
selfie friendly screen
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
comes with external microphone support
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Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic GX8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VR-340 and Panasonic GX8
 Olympus VR-340Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus VR-340 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2012-01-10 2015-07-16
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 49
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens zoom range 24-240mm (10.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.0-5.7 -
Amount of lenses - 107
Focal length multiplier 5.8 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.77x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/16000 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.80 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, forced off
External flash
AEB
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 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 125g (0.28 lbs) 487g (1.07 lbs)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 133 x 78 x 63mm (5.2" x 3.1" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 75
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 806
Other
Battery life - 330 photos
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Card slots One One
Launch cost $130 $898