Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A850

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus VR-340 and Sony A850, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and A850 (25MP) and the VR-340 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) have different sensor dimensions.

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The VR-340 was revealed 22 months later than the A850 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the VR-340 matches up versus the A850 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VR-340 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The full galleries are available at Olympus VR-340 Gallery and Sony A850 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VR-340 has physical measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony A850 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

See the Olympus VR-340 and Sony A850 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the VR-340 vs the A850.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the VR-340 and A850 is 96 and 54 respectively.

Generally, it is very hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizing simply by researching specifications. The photograph here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the VR-340 and A850.

To sum up, the 2 cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The VR-340 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A850 will provide you with more detail because of its extra 9MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The younger VR-340 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.