Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A450

Following is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus VR-340 versus Sony A450, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the A450 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and A450 (APS-C) use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The VR-340 was released 2 years after the A450 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony A450 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a simple summary of how the VR-340 matches up vs the A450 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VR-340 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A450. The complete galleries are available at Olympus VR-340 Gallery and Sony A450 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus VR-340 features exterior dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony A450 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus VR-340 versus Sony A450 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the VR-340 against the A450.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VR-340 and A450 is 96 and 65 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizes purely by checking out technical specs. The pic here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the VR-340 and A450.

As you have seen, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The VR-340 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Olympus VR-340 will show more detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more recent VR-340 is going to have an edge in sensor tech.