Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A390

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A390, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the A390 (14MP) is pretty similar but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and A390 (APS-C) have different sensor measurements.

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The VR-340 was introduced 18 months later than the A390 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a quick summation of how the VR-340 grades against the A390 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VR-340 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A390. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus VR-340 Gallery and Sony A390 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VR-340 features outer dimensions 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 A390 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") and a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Check out the Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A390 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use during that time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the VR-340 versus the A390.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VR-340 and A390 is 96 and 66 respectively.

Normally, it can be tough to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements only by reviewing specs. The photograph below will provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the VR-340 and A390.

All in all, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The VR-340 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Olympus VR-340 will offer more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The younger VR-340 should have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.