Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-S1

Here, we are reviewing the Olympus VR-340 versus Pentax K-S1, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the K-S1 (20MP) is fairly comparable but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and K-S1 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

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The VR-340 was announced 3 years earlier than the K-S1 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-S1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the VR-340 scores against the K-S1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VR-340 and Pentax K-S1. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus VR-340 Gallery and Pentax K-S1 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VR-340 has got physical dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-S1 has dimensions of 121mm x 93mm x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") along with a weight of 558 grams (1.23 lbs).

Check the Olympus VR-340 versus Pentax K-S1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the VR-340 versus the K-S1.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the VR-340 and K-S1 is 96 and 69 respectively.

Usually, it is very difficult to envision the gap in sensor measurements only by going through technical specs. The visual here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the VR-340 and K-S1.

As you have seen, both of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The VR-340 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Pentax K-S1 will provide greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively. The older VR-340 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.