Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A58

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus VR-340 and Sony A58, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the A58 (20MP) is fairly similar but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and A58 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The VR-340 was released 22 months prior to the A58 making them a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony A58 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief summation of how the VR-340 grades against the A58 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VR-340 and Sony SLT-A58. The complete galleries are available at Olympus VR-340 Gallery and Sony A58 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera often, you will have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus VR-340 has outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony A58 has proportions of 129mm x 95mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 3.1") along with a weight of 492 grams (1.08 lbs).

Look at the Olympus VR-340 and Sony A58 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the VR-340 vs the A58.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the VR-340 and A58 is 96 and 68 respectively.

Often, it's hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing only by reading specs. The visual here should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the VR-340 and A58.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The VR-340 featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony A58 will deliver more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The older VR-340 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.