Olympus VR-340 vs Sony RX1R II

On this page, we are reviewing the Olympus VR-340 and Sony RX1R II, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and RX1R II (42MP) and the VR-340 (1/2.3") and RX1R II (Full frame) have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The VR-340 was announced 4 years prior to the RX1R II and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX1R II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick summation of how the VR-340 grades against the RX1R II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VR-340 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus VR-340 Gallery & Sony RX1R II Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus VR-340 provides exterior measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony RX1R II has proportions of 113mm x 65mm x 72mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") along with a weight of 507 grams (1.12 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus VR-340 and Sony RX1R II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the VR-340 compared to the RX1R II.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the VR-340 and RX1R II is 96 and 78 respectively.

Generally, it's hard to visualise the difference between sensor measurements merely by checking a spec sheet. The graphic underneath might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the VR-340 and RX1R II.

Clearly, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The VR-340 having a tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony RX1R II will resolve extra detail with its extra 26MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The older VR-340 is going to be behind in sensor tech.