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Olympus VR-320 Review

  • Overview
  • Alternatives
  • Olympus VR-320

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    Main Features

    • 14MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor
    • ISO 80 - 1600
    • 24-300 mm F3.0-5.9 Zoom Lens
    • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
    • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
    • fps continuous shooting
    • 158g. 101 x 58 x 29 mm
    • Replaced by Olympus VR-330
    CHECK PRICE
    CHECK PRICE

    Olympus VR-320 Overview

    First introduced in July 2011 , Olympus VR-320 is a 14.0MP Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor, built-in Image Stabilization and 12.5x zoom 24-300 mm F3.0-5.9 lens. Olympus later replaced VR-320 with VR-330. Follow the link to read our in-depth comparison of these cameras:
    Compare Olympus VR-320 vs Olympus VR-330

    Olympus VR-320 Review - Click for Table of Contents

    1. Overview
    2. Pros and Cons
    3. Sensor and Photography Features
    4. Physical Specs
    5. LCD and Viewfinder
    6. Connectivity, Storage and Battery
    7. Video
    8. Other Features
    9. Lens
    10. Photography Type Scores
    11. Alternatives
    12. Popular Comparisons
    13. Frequently Asked Questions
    14. Detailed Specifications

    Olympus VR-320 is a member of Olympus's Small Sensor Superzoom class cameras. Below you can see the latest models in this class and how their main specs have changed with each new model.

    Olympus Small Sensor Superzoom Series History
    Model Release Date Sensor Max FPS Dimensions Weight
    Olympus SH-3
    Compare
    2016 16.0MP - 1/2.3' 11.5 fps 109 x 63 x 42mm 271g
    Olympus 1s
    Compare
    2015 12.0MP - 1/1.7' 7.0 fps 116 x 87 x 57mm 402g
    Olympus SH-2
    Compare
    2015 16.0MP - 1/2.3' 11.5 fps 109 x 63 x 42mm 271g
    Olympus SH-1
    Compare
    2014 16.0MP - 1/2.3' 12.0 fps 109 x 63 x 42mm 271g
    Olympus SP-100
    Compare
    2014 16.0MP - 1/2.3-inch 7.0 fps 122 x 91 x 133mm 594g

    Check the link below to compare specs of the latest cameras in this series side by side:
    Olympus SH-3 vs 1s vs SH-2 vs SH-1 vs SP-100


    **This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Olympus VR-320 PROs and CONs Review

    Now let's get in to more details of our Olympus VR-320 review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

    PROs
    Image Stabilization
    Face Detection Focusing
    158g Light Body
    24mm Wide Angle Lens
    300mm Good Tele Lens
    12.5X Optical Zoom
    Report a correction

    Buy Olympus VR-320 from AMAZON or B&H PHOTO


    CONs
    No Wireless Connection
    No Articulating Screen
    No External Flash Shoe
    No Full HD Video
    No Touch Screen
    No Built-in Viewfinder
    No RAW Shooting
    Low Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
    Max Sensitivity only ISO 1.600
    Low Screen Resolution ( 230kdots )
    No Manual Focusing
    No Manual Exposure
    No Environmental Sealing
    Slow Lens at Wide: f3.00
    Slow Lens at Tele: f5.90

    Report a correction


    Olympus VR-320 Physical Specs
    Olympus VR-320 weighs 158 g (0.35 lb / 5.57 oz) and has external dimensions of 101 x 58 x 29 mm (3.98 x 2.28 x 1.14″). Considering that the average weight of Compact type cameras is 188g, Olympus VR-320 is a remarkably light camera for its class. With a thickness of 29mm, it has an average thickness for its class.
    Weight Comparison

    Compact Cameras

    Olympus VR-320
    Min
    Average
    Max
    Thickness Comparison

    Compact Cameras

    Olympus VR-320
    Min
    Average
    Max

    Here is the front and top view image of Olympus VR-320 with the dimensions:

    Olympus VR-320 Body Size Dimensions
    Front and Top View External Dimensions and Size of Olympus VR-320 Camera Body


    In order to give you a better idea about the real life size of Olympus VR-320, we have added an image of how it looks next to a credit card and an AA type battery.


    Olympus VR-320 Body Size Compared to a Credit card and a Battery
    Physical size of the Olympus VR-320 Body Compared to a Credit Card and an AA Battery



    Below you can find the comparison of the weight and thickness of Olympus VR-320 with its main competitors:

    Olympus VR-320 Size Compared to Main Competitors
    Model Weight vs VR-320 Thickness vs VR-320
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Olympus VR-330
    Compare
    158g equal weight 29mm equal thickness
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Olympus PEN-F
    Compare
    427g 269g heavier 37mm 8mm thicker
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Panasonic FZ300
    Compare
    691g 533g heavier 117mm 88mm thicker
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Olympus SH-2
    Compare
    271g 113g heavier 42mm 13mm thicker
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Casio EX-H20G
    Compare
    216g 58g heavier 29mm equal thickness
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Olympus TG-6
    Compare
    253g 95g heavier 32mm 3mm thicker
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Canon M50
    Compare
    390g 232g heavier 59mm 30mm thicker
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Samsung Galaxy Camera 3G
    Compare
    305g 147g heavier 19mm 10mm thinner

    Weather Sealing

    Olympus VR-320 doesn't have any environmental sealings on its body so you got to be extra careful to protect it against water and dust. If you shoot under these conditions very often, consider checking Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing page.

    Olympus VR-320 Lens

    Olympus VR-320 features a 24-300 mm F3.0-5.9 12.5× zoom lens. This camera offers exceptional wide angle capacity thanks to 24mm focal length on the wide end and remarkable super telephoto reach at 300mm.

    Wide Coverage

    Compact Cameras

    VR-320
    Widest - Olympus TG-850 iHS
    Average
    Telezoom

    Compact Cameras

    VR-320
    Longest - Canon SX520 HS
    Average

    With a max aperture of f3.00 at 24mm, we can not consider this lens fast on wide end, and it is slow at the tele end with its max aperture of f5.90.

    Max Aperture at Wide

    Compact Cameras

    VR-320
    Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6
    Average
    Max Aperture at Tele

    Compact Cameras

    VR-320
    Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV
    Average

    VR-320 is equipped with Sensor-shift image stabilization system which is very handy especially at lower shutter speeds.

    Olympus VR-320 Sensor and Photography Features

    Olympus VR-320 has a 14.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features TruePic III processor. You can shoot at maximum resolution of 4288 x 3216 pixels with aspect ratios of and 4:3. VR-320 has a native ISO range of 80 - 1600 but unfortunately, Olympus VR-320 doesn't have RAW file support. If you need a Compact camera with a RAW support, consider Nikon Coolpix P7000 or Olympus XZ-1 in the same price range.

    Olympus VR-320 is not the highest resolution Small Sensor camera. GoPro Hero9 Black with its 23.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Olympus VR-320 vs GoPro Hero9 Black or take a look at Highest resolution Compact cameras list.

    Let's look at how the size of the Olympus VR-320's 1/2.3-inch sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

    Olympus VR-320 Sensor Size Comparison
    Comparison image of Olympus VR-320 Sensor Size with other standard sensors



    Olympus VR-320 LCD

    Olympus VR-320 has a Fixed Type 3.00-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 230k dots. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.



    Olympus VR-320 back view and LCD

    Unfortunately Olympus VR-320 doesn't have a Selfie friendly screen. If this feature is important for your shooting style, check here the list of Best Compact Cameras with Selfie Friendly LCD screen.


    VR-320 doesn't have a viewfinder and no option for external viewfinder. Lack of a viewfinder can be problematic especially under strong light where visibility of LCD screens goes down dramatically. If you need a Compact camera with a built-in viewfinder in a similar price range, consider Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 (Lumix DMC-TZ100) (Compare) or Nikon Coolpix P7800 (Compare).
    Alternatively, check here the list of all Compact cameras with viewfinder..

    Olympus VR-320 Connectivity, Storage and Battery

    Olympus VR-320 has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port to connect your camera to other devices.

    Olympus VR-320 Features Compared to Main Competitors
    Model Max Video Battery Life Wi-fi Bluetooth NFC
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Olympus VR-330
    Compare
    1280 x 720 shots No No No
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Olympus PEN-F
    Compare
    1920 x 1080 330shots Yes No No
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Panasonic FZ300
    Compare
    3840 x 2160 380shots Yes No No
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Olympus SH-2
    Compare
    1920 x 1080 380shots Yes No No
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Casio EX-H20G
    Compare
    1280 x 720 shots No No No
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Olympus TG-6
    Compare
    3840 x 2160 340shots Yes No No
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Canon M50
    Compare
    3840 x 2160 235shots Yes Yes Yes
    Olympus VR-320 Camera Samsung Galaxy Camera 3G
    Compare
    1920 x 1080 shots Yes No No

    Olympus VR-320 Video Features

    With Olympus VR-320, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 1280 x 720 at 30,15 fps and save in and Motion JPEG formats. 1280 x 720 is a low video resolution by todays standards. If video quality is important for you, we recommend you to look at cameras with Full HD, even better 4K / Ultra-HD resolution .

    VR-320 has a built-in Mono microphone but no speaker. On the other hand, Olympus VR-320 doesn't have any connections for external microphones and headphones. If you need a Compact camera with external microphone connectivity, consider Nikon Coolpix P7000 or Samsung PL120 in a similar price range.

    Also read:

    • Best Compact Cameras with Microphone Port
    • Best Compact Cameras with Headphone Port

    Olympus VR-320 Other Features

    Max Shutter speed

    Olympus VR-320 can shoot continuously at max speed of and has max shutter speed of 1/2000 sec.

    Flash

    Unfortunately VR-320 doesn't have an external flash shoe so you are limited with the built-in flash.

    Focusing

    Olympus VR-320 features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system.

    Olympus VR-320 also features Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.

    What type of Photography is Olympus VR-320 Good for?
    In this section, we review and score Olympus VR-320 in 5 different photography areas.

    Olympus VR-320 for Portrait Photography

    Olympus VR-320 has a score of 29 for Portrait Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Portrait We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Portrait Photography list and consider these alternatives over theVR-320.
    Image Stabilization
    Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
    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 of how we scored Olympus VR-320 for Portrait Photography

    Olympus VR-320 for Street Photography

    Olympus VR-320 has a score of 62 for Street Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Street Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Compact Cameras for Street Photography list.
    Live-view
    Face-Detection Focusing
    Image Stabilization
    24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
    Small Body
    No Built-in Viewfinder
    No Manual Focus Mode
    No RAW shooting capability
    Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor

    Read the details of how we scored Olympus VR-320 for Street Photography

    Olympus VR-320 for Sports Photography

    Olympus VR-320 has a score of 18 for Sports Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Sports We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Sports Photography list and consider these alternatives over theVR-320.
    Image Stabilization
    300 mm Tele Lens
    Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
    Environmental Sealings
    Focus Points
    Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
    No Manual Exposure Mode
    No Manual Focus Mode
    No Built-in Viewfinder
    No External Flash Shoe
    Slow Lens at Tele: f5.90
    No RAW shooting capability

    Read the details of how we scored Olympus VR-320 for Sports Photography

    Olympus VR-320 for Daily Photography

    Olympus VR-320 has a score of 61 for Daily Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Daily Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Compact Cameras for Daily Photography list.
    Compact Body
    158g
    12.5X Optical Zoom
    Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
    No RAW shooting capability

    Read the details of how we scored Olympus VR-320 for Daily Photography

    Olympus VR-320 for Landscape Photography

    Olympus VR-320 has a score of 18 for Landscape Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Landscape We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Landscape Photography list and consider these alternatives over theVR-320.
    24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
    Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
    No Manual Exposure Mode
    No Manual Focus Mode
    No RAW shooting capability
    Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
    No Environmental Sealings

    Read the details of how we scored Olympus VR-320 for Landscape Photography
    Olympus VR-320 Alternatives
    In this section, we analyse how Olympus VR-320 compares with other Compact cameras within a similar price range.
    Read a more detailed analysis of Olympus VR-320 alternatives.

    Popular Comparisons of Olympus VR-320

    Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Olympus VR-320 amongst Camera Decision readers.

    Olympus VR-330
    Olympus VR-330
    Compare
    Olympus PEN-F
    Olympus PEN-F
    Compare
    Panasonic FZ300
    Panasonic FZ300
    Compare
    Olympus SH-2
    Olympus SH-2
    Compare
    Casio EX-H20G
    Casio EX-H20G
    Compare
    Olympus TG-6
    Olympus TG-6
    Compare
    Canon M50
    Canon M50
    Compare
    Samsung Galaxy Camera 3G
    Samsung Galaxy Camera 3G
    Compare

    Olympus VR-320 Alternatives in Cameras

    It would also be interesting to compare Olympus VR-320 with Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked cameras in Olympus VR-320's price range.

    Olympus VR-320 Conclusion and Scores

    Currently, Olympus VR-320 has an Overall Score of 33/100 which is based on our evaluation of 69 different technical parameters. Our scores are dynamically updated whenever a new camera is added to our database or when we change our ranking algorithm and the maximum score is always 100. Olympus VR-320 is ranked #376 out of 631 in Compact cameras (Top 20 Compact), and ranked #952 out of 1242 in all Cameras (Top 20 Overall).

    #952 out of 1242 in Top Ranking Cameras
    #376 out of 631 in Top Ranking Compact Cameras
    #230 out of 245 in Top Ranking Small Sensor Superzoom Cameras
    #452 out of 740 in Top Ranking Small Sensor Sensor Cameras
    #241 out of 536 in Lightest Compact Cameras with Small Sensor sensor(158g)
    #633 out of 917 in Top Ranking Cameras with Fixed Type Screen

    Main Scores
    Imaging
    Features
    Value for Money
    Portability
    Overall Score
    Check our Smart Finder Tool to filter, sort and compare all digital cameras.

    Frequently Asked Questions about Olympus VR-320
    Does the Olympus VR-320 have Image Stabilization?
    Does the Olympus VR-320 have RAW support?
    Does the Olympus VR-320 have Weather Sealing?
    Does the Olympus VR-320 have built-in GPS?
    What is the Max ISO of Olympus VR-320?
    What is the Sensor Size of Olympus VR-320?
    is the Olympus VR-320 a Full Frame (FF) camera?
    Does the Olympus VR-320 have Touch Screen?
    Does the Olympus VR-320 have built-in Wireless?
    What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Olympus VR-320?
    What is the Weight of Olympus VR-320?
    What are the Dimensions of Olympus VR-320?
    Olympus VR-320 Detailed Specifications

    General
    Brand Olympus
    Model Olympus VR-320
    Announced 2011-07-19
    Body Type Compact
    Lens
    Manual Focus
    Lens Mount fixed lens
    Lens Focal Range 24-300 mm (12.5×)
    Max Aperture F3.0-5.9
    Macro Focus Range 1cm
    Screen
    Screen Type Fixed Type
    Screen Technology TFT Color LCD
    Screen Size 3.00"
    Screen Resolution 230k dots
    Live View
    Touch Screen
    Viewfinder
    Viewfinder None
    Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder
    Viewfinder Coverage n/a
    Viewfinder Magnification n/a
    Photography Features
    Min Shutter Speed 4s
    Max Mechanical Shutter Speed 1/2000s
    Continuous Shooting n/a
    Shutter Priority
    Aperture Priority
    Manual Exposure Mode
    Exposure Compensation n/a
    Custom White Balance
    Image Stabilization
    Built-in Flash
    Flash Range 4.70 m
    Flash Modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
    External Flash
    AE Bracketing
    WB Bracketing
    Exposure Modes
    Multi-Segment
    Average
    Spot
    Partial
    AF-Area
    Center Weighted
    DxO Sensor Scores
    DxO Overall Score not tested
    DxO Color Depth not tested
    DxO Dynamic Range not tested
    DxO Low Light ISO not tested
    Report a correction

    Sensor
    Sensor Type CCD
    Sensor Size 1/2.3-inch
    Sensor Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm
    Sensor Area 28.07mm2
    Sensor Resolution 14 megapixels
    Max Image Resolution 4288 x 3216
    Max Native ISO 1,600
    Min Native ISO 80
    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
    Video Features
    Video Resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps)
    Max Video Resolution 1280 x 720
    Video Formats Motion JPEG
    Microphone Port
    Headphone Port
    Connectivity
    Wireless Connectivity None
    HDMI
    USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
    Physical
    Environmental Sealing
    Water Proof
    Dust Proof
    Shock Proof
    Crush Proof
    Freeze Proof
    Weight 158g
    Physical Dimensions 101 x 58 x 29mm
    Battery Model LI-42B
    Other Features
    Self Timer Yes (2 or 12 sec)
    Timelapse Recording
    GPS None
    Storage Type SD/SDHC
    Storage Slots 1


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