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Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS5

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus VR-340 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
30
Overall
33

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS5 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
  • Introduced January 2012
Panasonic ZS5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 214g - 103 x 60 x 32mm
  • Launched June 2010
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ8
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Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS5 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus VR-340 and Panasonic ZS5, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and ZS5 (12MP) but both cameras have the same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The VR-340 was manufactured 20 months after the ZS5 making them a generation away from each other. The two cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before diving into a more detailed comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the VR-340 scores against the ZS5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VR-340 over the Panasonic ZS5

 VR-340 ZS5 
LaunchedJanuary 2012June 2010Newer by 20 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS5 over the Olympus VR-340

 ZS5 VR-340 

Common features in the Olympus VR-340 and Panasonic ZS5

 VR-340 ZS5 
Manually focus No manual focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS5 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to travel with your camera regularly, you have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus VR-340 has got external measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS5 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Check the Olympus VR-340 and Panasonic ZS5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilising during that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the VR-340 versus the ZS5.

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS5 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the VR-340 and ZS5 is 96 and 92 respectively.

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS5 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions simply by reading specs. The picture underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the VR-340 and ZS5.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different megapixels. You should anticipate the Olympus VR-340 to deliver more detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics more aggressively. The younger VR-340 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS5 sensor size comparison

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus VR-340
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS5
34
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
offers face detect autofocus
no manual focus
no manual mode
no external flash support
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
27
features face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus VR-340
Street photography with Panasonic ZS5
63
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (125 grams)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (214g)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Sports photography info
Panasonic ZS5 Sports photography info
44
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16MP)
offers tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
31
has image stabilization (Optical)
features tracking focus
max shutter speed is low (1/1,300s)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Travel photography details
Panasonic ZS5 Travel photography details
69
lighter than competition (125 grams)
resolution is good (16MP)
has built in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
no Time Lapse mode
does not offer selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
63
lighter than competitors (214g)
has built in flash
really wide (25mm)
very long reach (300mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (12MP)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VR-340 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS5 as a Landscape photography camera
43
fairly wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
no manual mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
no Time Lapse mode
33
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7")
low megapixels (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus VR-340
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS5
33
fairly wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect autofocus
lighter than competition (125g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
does not offer selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic socket
31
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect autofocus
lighter than competitors (214g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of mic socket
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Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VR-340 and Panasonic ZS5
 Olympus VR-340Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus VR-340 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
Also called - Lumix DMC-TZ8
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2012-01-10 2010-06-16
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 11
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-240mm (10.0x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-5.7 f/3.3-4.9
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1300s
Continuous shutter rate - 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.80 m 5.30 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) 1280 x 720 (30fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
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 125 grams (0.28 lbs) 214 grams (0.47 lbs)
Physical dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 103 x 60 x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $130 $300