Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A99

Below is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus VR-340 and Sony A99, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and A99 (24MP) and the VR-340 (1/2.3") and A99 (Full frame) possess different sensor sizes.

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The VR-340 was introduced 11 months before the A99 and they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise summary of how the VR-340 matches up versus the A99 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VR-340 and Sony SLT-A99. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus VR-340 Gallery and Sony A99 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus VR-340 enjoys 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) whilst the Sony A99 has proportions of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") along with a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Check the Olympus VR-340 and Sony A99 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using at that time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the VR-340 compared to the A99.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the VR-340 and A99 is 96 and 57 respectively.

Often, it is hard to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements simply by going over a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the VR-340 and A99.

As you can see, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The VR-340 having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A99 will offer more detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older VR-340 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.