Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A330

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus VR-340 and Sony A330, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and A330 (10MP) and the VR-340 (1/2.3") and A330 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The VR-340 was brought out 2 years later than the A330 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony A330 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the VR-340 grades vs the A330 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VR-340 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A330. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus VR-340 Gallery and Sony A330 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus VR-340 comes with external measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony A330 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 529 grams (1.17 lbs).

Check the Olympus VR-340 and Sony A330 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the VR-340 vs the A330.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the VR-340 and A330 is 96 and 67 respectively.

In many cases, it is very tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing only by checking technical specs. The graphic below will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-340 and A330.

As you have seen, both of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The VR-340 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Olympus VR-340 will resolve extra detail having its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The newer VR-340 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.