Panasonic G9 vs Olympus VR-340 Comparison

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Panasonic G9

20 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Olympus VR-340

16 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CCD Sensor

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Panasonic G9 vs Olympus VR-340 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Panasonic G9, which was introduced in November 2017 is a Advanced Mirrorless camera with a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor whereas Olympus VR-340, which was introduced in January 2012 is a Small Sensor Compact camera with a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor. As you can see, VR-340 is 5 years older than G9. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of the Panasonic G9 and Olympus VR-340 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic G9 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2017-11-08

20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter

ISO 200 - 25600 ( expands to 100)

Micro Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3.00" Fully Articulated Screen

3680k dot Electronic viewfinder

20.0fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

180fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

658g. 137 x 97 x 92 mm

Weather-sealed Body

Olympus VR-340 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-01-10

16MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 3200

24-240 mm F3.0-5.7 Zoom Lens

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3.00" Fixed Type Screen

fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

125g. 96 x 57 x 19 mm

Let's read on in the following sections in order to better understand in detail how the Panasonic G9 and Olympus VR-340 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

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Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 over Olympus VR-340

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected	Better connectivity
LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder	Electronic vs None	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Sensor Resolution	20 MP vs 16 MP	25% more pixels
Max ISO	25.600 vs 3.200	700% higher Max ISO
LCD Resolution	1.040k dots vs 460k dots	126% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/2000s	faster mechanical shutter
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Sensor Pixel Area	11.16µm2 vs 1.76µm2	534% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs 1280 x 720	Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Full-size HDMI Port	Yes vs No	Use standard HDMI cables without adapters
Selfie & Vlogger LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode	Yes (80.0MP) vs No	Increased resolution with pixel shift
4K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
6K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 18MP photos from Video footage
Bluetooth	Yes vs No	Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Focus Bracketing	Yes vs No	Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking	Yes vs No	Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Post Focus Mode	Yes vs No	Change focus point after taking a shot
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support	UHS-II vs none	Read/Write in High Speeds
USB Version	USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) vs USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	Faster Data transfer from the camera
Animal Eye AF Tracking	Yes vs No	Easily lock and track focus on animals
Webcam Function	Yes vs No	Use your camera as a Webcam

CHECK G9 PRICE

Reasons to choose Olympus VR-340 over Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Weight	125 g vs 658 g	533 g lighter

CHECK VR-340 PRICE

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Olympus VR-340

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Olympus VR-340

Panasonic G9 vs Olympus VR-340: Physical Specs and Body Features Comparison

Size and weight are big decision factors when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, we are going to illustrate the Panasonic G9 and Olympus VR-340 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic G9 has external dimensions of 137 x 97 x 92 mm (5.39 x 3.82 x 3.62″) and weighs 658 g (1.45 lb / 23.21 oz) (including batteries). Olympus VR-340 has external dimensions of 96 x 57 x 19 mm (3.78 x 2.24 x 0.75″) and weighs 125 g (0.28 lb / 4.41 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Panasonic G9 and the Olympus VR-340. Olympus VR-340 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 41mm narrower, 40mm shorter and 73mm thinner than Panasonic G9. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Olympus VR-340 has a built-in lens but Panasonic G9 doesn't. Once you put a lens on G9, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Olympus VR-340 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic G9 and Olympus VR-340.

Top View Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Olympus VR-340 Size

Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus VR-340 is significantly lighter (533g ) than the Panasonic G9 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on G9, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

With its weather-sealed body, we believe that the G9 has a big advantage over the VR-340 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic G9 and Olympus VR-340's LCD screens have the same diagonal size of 3.00 inches.

On the other hand, Panasonic G9 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over-the-head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Olympus VR-340's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to G9.

Panasonic G9 vs Olympus VR-340: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic G9 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Olympus VR-340 has a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Another difference between these two cameras is that Panasonic G9's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the G9 and VR-340 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Olympus VR-340 Cameras

As seen above, Panasonic G9 has a 8.0x Larger sensor area than Olympus VR-340. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Panasonic G9 and Olympus VR-340 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic G9 and Olympus VR-340 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Panasonic G9 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Olympus VR-340 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Portrait Photography

Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Olympus VR-340 for Street Photography

GOOD

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Street Photography

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus VR-340 for Sports Photography

POOR

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 20.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
225 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Sports Photography

Image Stabilization
240 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Unknown Focus Points
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Olympus VR-340 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
658g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details

Compact Body
125g
Body Thickness 19mm
10.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus VR-340 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Landscape Photography

24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic G9 vs Olympus VR-340: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far, but in case you wonder how we rated Panasonic G9 and Olympus VR-340, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Panasonic G9 and Olympus VR-340 scores compare:

Panasonic G9

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #58 out of 117 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #89 out of 1275 in all Cameras

Olympus VR-340

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #252 out of 478 in Compact cameras
Ranked #893 out of 1275 in all Cameras

Panasonic G9 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Olympus VR-340 in all criteria except one: Portability. Olympus VR-340 is significantly smaller than Panasonic G9. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Olympus VR-340. Otherwise, Panasonic G9 is the better camera overall.

Olympus VR-340 vs Panasonic G9 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DC-G9	Olympus VR-340
Brand	Panasonic	Olympus
Announced	2017-11-08	2012-01-10
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	Compact
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CCD
Size	Four Thirds	1/2.3-inch
Dimensions	17.3 x 13 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area	224.90mm²	28.07mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	16 megapixels
Max Resolution	5184 x 3888	4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity	25,600 ISO	3,200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	200 ISO	100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	100 ISO	-
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	225	n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	no lens	24-240 mm (10×)
Max Aperture	no lens	F3.0-5.7
Screen
Type	Fully Articulated	Fixed type
Size	3.00"	3.00"
Resolution	1,040k dots	460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	None
Viewfinder Resolution	3,680k dots	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	0.83x	n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/2000s
Max Electronic Shutter	1/32000s	n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	no built-in flash	4.80 m
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	20.0 fps	n/a
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	1280 x 720
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264	Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	658g	125g
Dimensions	137 x 97 x 92mm	96 x 57 x 19mm
Battery Life	400 shots	n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction