Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS1

The following is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS1, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and ZS1 (10MP) and the VR-340 (1/2.3") and ZS1 (1/2.5") come with different sensor sizes.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The VR-340 was brought out 2 years after the ZS1 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the VR-340 grades vs the ZS1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VR-340 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1. The entire galleries are available at Olympus VR-340 Gallery and Panasonic ZS1 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus VR-340 has physical measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS1 has measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose during that time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the VR-340 vs the ZS1.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the VR-340 and ZS1 is 96 and 91 respectively.

In many cases, it is hard to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by reviewing technical specs. The picture below should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-340 and ZS1.

As you have seen, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The VR-340 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus VR-340 will offer more detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more recent VR-340 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.