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Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS50

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus VR-340 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 front
Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
57
Overall
45

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS50 Key Specs

Olympus VR-340
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • 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 ZS50
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 243g - 111 x 65 x 34mm
  • Announced January 2015
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ70
  • Succeeded the Panasonic ZS45
  • New Model is Panasonic ZS60
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Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS50 Overview

Here is a in depth analysis of the Olympus VR-340 versus Panasonic ZS50, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and ZS50 (12MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The VR-340 was unveiled 4 years before the ZS50 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the VR-340 grades vs the ZS50 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VR-340 over the Panasonic ZS50

 VR-340 ZS50 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS50 over the Olympus VR-340

 ZS50 VR-340 
AnnouncedJanuary 2015January 2012Fresher by 36 months
Manually focus More exact focus
Screen resolution1040k460kSharper screen (+580k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VR-340 and Panasonic ZS50

 VR-340 ZS50 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS50 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus VR-340 comes with external dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS50 has sizing of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") having a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus VR-340 versus Panasonic ZS50 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the VR-340 vs the ZS50.

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS50 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VR-340 and ZS50 is 96 and 90 respectively.

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS50 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS50 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to envision the contrast in sensor sizing purely by looking through a spec sheet. The graphic underneath should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the VR-340 and ZS50.

As you can see, the two cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Olympus VR-340 to render extra detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older VR-340 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS50 sensor size comparison

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic ZS50 Portrait photography factors
34
decent megapixels (16MP)
includes face detect focus
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
42
focusing manually
comes with face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
no external flash support
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus VR-340 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS50 as a Street photography camera
63
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors in class (125g)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
68
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (243 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus VR-340 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZS50 as a Sports photography camera
44
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
includes tracking focus
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
43
long zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking focus
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Travel photography advice
Panasonic ZS50 Travel photography advice
69
lighter than competitors in class (125g)
decent megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (24mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
66
lighter than competition in class (243g)
built-in flash
quite wide (24mm)
very long reach (720mm)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZS50 Landscape photography information
43
pretty wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
lack of manual focus
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
does not have Timelapse recording
51
focusing manually
quite wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VR-340 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS50 as a Vlogging camera
33
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect focus
lighter than competitors in class (125 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone port
34
quite wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (243 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
does not have a selfie friendly display
lack of mic socket
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Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic ZS50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VR-340 and Panasonic ZS50
 Olympus VR-340Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus VR-340 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-TZ70
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2012-01-10 2015-01-06
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 23
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-240mm (10.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-5.7 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,166 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.46x
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate - 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.80 m 6.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
Auto exposure 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) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
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 125 gr (0.28 lbs) 243 gr (0.54 lbs)
Physical dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 111 x 65 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 44
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.2
DXO Low light rating not tested 138
Other
Battery life - 300 shots
Type of battery - Battery Pack
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 Single Single
Retail cost $130 $350