Olympus VR-340 vs Sony NEX-5T

The following is a detailed review of the Olympus VR-340 and Sony NEX-5T, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the NEX-5T (16MP) is fairly well matched but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and NEX-5T (APS-C) posses different sensor sizes.

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The VR-340 was introduced 19 months prior to the NEX-5T making them a generation away from one another. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5T being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief overview of how the VR-340 scores vs the NEX-5T in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VR-340 & Sony Alpha NEX-5T. The whole galleries are available at Olympus VR-340 Gallery & Sony NEX-5T Gallery.

If you're planning to travel with your camera often, you need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus VR-340 has got physical measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5T has proportions of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Compare the Olympus VR-340 and Sony NEX-5T in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the VR-340 against the NEX-5T.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VR-340 and NEX-5T is 96 and 89 respectively.

Typically, it's difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions purely by looking at technical specs. The image below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-340 and NEX-5T.

As you have seen, the two cameras come with the identical megapixels but different sensor dimensions. The VR-340 has got the tinier sensor which is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier. The more aged VR-340 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.