Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-3

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-3, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the VR-340 (1/2.3") and K-3 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The VR-340 was introduced 3 years prior to the K-3 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the VR-340 matches up vs the K-3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VR-340 & Pentax K-3. The whole galleries are available at Olympus VR-340 Gallery & Pentax K-3 Gallery.

When you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus VR-340 provides outside 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 Pentax K-3 has specifications of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Look at the Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using during that time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the VR-340 versus the K-3.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VR-340 and K-3 is 96 and 59 respectively.

Normally, it is tough to see the difference between sensor sizing merely by reviewing a spec sheet. The graphic below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-340 and K-3.

Clearly, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The VR-340 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Pentax K-3 will offer you greater detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older VR-340 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.