Olympus VR-340 vs Sony RX10 IV

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus VR-340 and Sony RX10 IV, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the RX10 IV (20MP) is pretty similar but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and RX10 IV (1") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The VR-340 was manufactured 6 years prior to the RX10 IV and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 IV being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the VR-340 scores versus the RX10 IV when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VR-340 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV. The entire galleries are available at Olympus VR-340 Gallery & Sony RX10 IV Gallery.

If you're intending to carry your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus VR-340 offers outside measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony RX10 IV has specifications of 133mm x 94mm x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7") with a weight of 1095 grams (2.41 lbs).

Examine the Olympus VR-340 and Sony RX10 IV in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the VR-340 vs the RX10 IV.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the VR-340 and RX10 IV is 96 and 52 respectively.

Generally, it can be difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing purely by reading a spec sheet. The photograph below should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the VR-340 and RX10 IV.

As you can see, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The VR-340 featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Sony RX10 IV will deliver more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older VR-340 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.