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Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A550

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus VR-340 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus VR-340
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-240mm (F3.0-5.7) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2012
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced December 2009
  • Replaced the Sony A100
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Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A550 Overview

Below, we are analyzing the Olympus VR-340 and Sony A550, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very close but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor size.

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The VR-340 was announced 2 years after the A550 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the VR-340 scores versus the A550 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VR-340 over the Sony A550

 VR-340 A550 
IntroducedJanuary 2012December 2009More modern by 26 months

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus VR-340

 A550 VR-340 
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k460kSharper display (+462k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VR-340 and Sony A550

 VR-340 A550 
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus VR-340 offers external 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) and the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check the Olympus VR-340 and Sony A550 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the VR-340 versus the A550.

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VR-340 and A550 is 96 and 63 respectively.

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by looking through a spec sheet. The picture underneath may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-340 and A550.

Clearly, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The VR-340 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Olympus VR-340 will render more detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will help you crop photos much more aggressively. The newer VR-340 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus VR-340
Portrait photography with Sony A550
34
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
comes with face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
72
you can focus manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Street photography advice
Sony A550 Street photography advice
63
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (125 grams)
screen does not articulate
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
74
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Sports photography features
Sony A550 Sports photography features
44
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
bad battery (480 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus VR-340
Travel photography with Sony A550
69
lighter than competitors (125 grams)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
does not posses selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.0)
52
MP count good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
bad battery (480 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus VR-340
Landscape photography with Sony A550
43
reasonably wide (24mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
lack of Time Lapse mode
66
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
bad battery (480 shots)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus VR-340
Vlogging with Sony A550
33
reasonably wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection autofocus
lighter than competitors (125 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external mic support
9
no video recording
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Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VR-340 and Sony A550
 Olympus VR-340Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VR-340 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2012-01-10 2009-12-09
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 24-240mm (10.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.0-5.7 -
Total lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed - 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.80 m 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format Motion JPEG -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 125 gr (0.28 pounds) 632 gr (1.39 pounds)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 66
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.8
DXO Low light score not tested 807
Other
Battery life - 480 photographs
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $130 $749