Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-50

Below is a detailed overview of the Olympus VR-340 and Pentax K-50, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the K-50 (16MP) is pretty similar but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and K-50 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The VR-340 was announced 22 months prior to the K-50 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-50 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the VR-340 grades against the K-50 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VR-340 & Pentax K-50. The whole galleries are available at Olympus VR-340 Gallery & Pentax K-50 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus VR-340 provides outside measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-50 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

See the Olympus VR-340 and Pentax K-50 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the VR-340 and the K-50.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VR-340 and K-50 is 96 and 63 respectively.

More often than not, it is tough to picture the difference between sensor measurements only by reviewing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the VR-340 and K-50.

As you can see, both cameras posses the exact same megapixel count albeit different sensor measurements. The VR-340 has got the tinier sensor which is going to make obtaining bokeh trickier. The older VR-340 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.