Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K100D

Following is a in-depth overview of the Olympus VR-340 versus Pentax K100D, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and K100D (6MP) and the VR-340 (1/2.3") and K100D (APS-C) boast totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The VR-340 was revealed 5 years after the K100D which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K100D being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief overview of how the VR-340 grades vs the K100D in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VR-340 and Pentax K100D. The full galleries are available at Olympus VR-340 Gallery and Pentax K100D Gallery.

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus VR-340 provides physical measurements 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 K100D has specifications of 129mm x 93mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8") along with a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Check out the Olympus VR-340 versus Pentax K100D in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the VR-340 compared to the K100D.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VR-340 and K100D is 96 and 64 respectively.

Normally, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes merely by looking at specifications. The pic here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-340 and K100D.

Plainly, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The VR-340 having a tinier sensor will make getting bokeh more difficult and the Olympus VR-340 will give you extra detail because of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more recent VR-340 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.