Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax Q7

On this page, we will be contrasting the Olympus VR-340 and Pentax Q7, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and Q7 (12MP) and the VR-340 (1/2.3") and Q7 (1/1.7") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The VR-340 was introduced 19 months before the Q7 which makes them a generation away from each other. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Pentax Q7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summary of how the VR-340 scores vs the Q7 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VR-340 and Pentax Q7. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus VR-340 Gallery and Pentax Q7 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus VR-340 features outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Pentax Q7 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Check out the Olympus VR-340 and Pentax Q7 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using during that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the VR-340 versus the Q7.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the VR-340 and Q7 is 96 and 92 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizes purely by researching a spec sheet. The pic here should provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the VR-340 and Q7.

As you can see, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The VR-340 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Olympus VR-340 will provide you with more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged VR-340 will be behind in sensor technology.