Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A500

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A500, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the VR-340 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

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The VR-340 was announced 2 years later than the A500 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a thorough comparison, here is a quick summary of how the VR-340 grades vs the A500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VR-340 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The whole galleries are available at Olympus VR-340 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus VR-340 comes with exterior measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Look at the Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the VR-340 against the A500.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VR-340 and A500 is 96 and 63 respectively.

More often than not, it is hard to imagine the difference between sensor sizing merely by looking at technical specs. The photograph below will help offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the VR-340 and A500.

As you have seen, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The VR-340 using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Olympus VR-340 will give greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images more aggressively. The fresher VR-340 provides a benefit in sensor innovation.