Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A200

Below, we will be looking at the Olympus VR-340 versus Sony A200, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and A200 (10MP) and the VR-340 (1/2.3") and A200 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The VR-340 was manufactured 3 years later than the A200 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony A200 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going through a thorough comparison, below is a brief view of how the VR-340 scores against the A200 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VR-340 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A200. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus VR-340 Gallery and Sony A200 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus VR-340 has got physical dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Sony A200 has specifications of 131mm x 99mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 2.8") having a weight of 572 grams (1.26 lbs).

Look at the Olympus VR-340 versus Sony A200 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using during that time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the VR-340 against the A200.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the VR-340 and A200 is 96 and 66 respectively.

In many cases, it is hard to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing only by viewing specifications. The visual below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the VR-340 and A200.

To sum up, both the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The VR-340 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF harder and the Olympus VR-340 will provide you with extra detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The younger VR-340 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.