Olympus VR-340 Review

Name: Olympus VR-340
Brand: Olympus

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Main Features

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

125g. 96 x 57 x 19 mm

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Olympus VR-340 Overview

First introduced in January 2012 , Olympus VR-340 is a 16.0MP Small Sensor Compact camera with a 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor, built-in Image Stabilization and 10.0x zoom 24-240 mm F3.0-5.7 lens.

Olympus VR-340 Review - Click for Table of Contents

Overview
Pros and Cons
Sensor and Photography Features
Physical Specs
LCD and Viewfinder
Connectivity, Storage and Battery
Video
Other Features
Lens
Photography Type Scores
Alternatives
Popular Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Detailed Specifications

Olympus VR-340 is a member of Olympus's Small Sensor Compact 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 Compact Series History

Model	Release Date	Sensor	Max FPS	Dimensions	Weight
Olympus XZ-10 Compare	2013	12.0MP - 1/2.3-inch	5.0 fps	102 x 61 x 34mm	221g
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Compare	2012	12.0MP - 1/1.7-inch	fps	113 x 65 x 48mm	346g
Olympus VH-515 Compare	2012	12.0MP - 1/2.3-inch	2.0 fps	102 x 60 x 21mm	152g
Olympus VH-410 Compare	2012	16.0MP - 1/2.3-inch	2.0 fps	102 x 60 x 21mm	152g
Olympus VR-340	2012	16.0MP - 1/2.3-inch	fps	96 x 57 x 19mm	125g

Check the link below to compare specs of the latest cameras in this series side-by-side:
Olympus XZ-10 vs XZ-2 iHS vs VH-515 vs VH-410 vs VR-340

**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.

Olympus VR-340 PROs and CONs Review

Now let's get in to more details of our Olympus VR-340 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

125g Light Body

24mm Wide Angle Lens

240mm Good Tele Lens

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Buy Olympus VR-340 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

Max Sensitivity only ISO 3.200

Only Unknown Focus Points

No Manual Focusing

No Manual Exposure

No Environmental Sealing

Slow Lens at Wide: f3.00

Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70

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Olympus VR-340 Physical Specs

Olympus VR-340 weighs 125 g (0.28 lb / 4.41 oz) and has external dimensions of 96 x 57 x 19 mm (3.78 x 2.24 x 0.75″). Considering that the average weight of Compact type cameras is 188g, Olympus VR-340 is a remarkably light camera for its class. Even better, with a thickness of only 19mm, it is also quite small, 9mm thinner than the average of its class.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

Olympus VR-340

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

Olympus VR-340

Min

Average

Max

Here is the front and top view image of Olympus VR-340 with the dimensions:

Front and Top View External Dimensions and Size of Olympus VR-340 Camera Body

In order to give you a better idea about the real life size of Olympus VR-340, we have added an image of how it looks next to a credit card and an AA type battery.

Physical size of the Olympus VR-340 Body Compared to a Credit Card and an AA Battery

Below you can find the comparison of the weight and thickness of Olympus VR-340 with its main competitors:

Olympus VR-340 Size Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Weight	vs VR-340	Thickness	vs VR-340
Olympus VG-160 Compare	125g	equal weight	19mm	equal thickness
Nikon S6200 Compare	160g	35g heavier	26mm	7mm thicker
Nikon D750 Compare	840g	715g heavier	78mm	59mm thicker
Fujifilm X30 Compare	423g	298g heavier	60mm	41mm thicker
Panasonic GH5 Compare	725g	600g heavier	87mm	68mm thicker
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Compare	226g	101g heavier	40mm	21mm thicker
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Compare	346g	221g heavier	48mm	29mm thicker
Olympus XZ-10 Compare	221g	96g heavier	34mm	15mm thicker

Weather Sealing

Olympus VR-340 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-340 Lens

Olympus VR-340 features a 24-240 mm F3.0-5.7 10× zoom lens. This camera offers exceptional wide angle capacity thanks to 24mm focal length on the wide end and 240mm on tele gives a lot of flexibility and satisfy most of your needs.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

VR-340

Widest - Olympus TG-850 iHS

Average

Telezoom

Compact Cameras

VR-340

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 f5.70.

Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

VR-340

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

VR-340

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

VR-340 is equipped with Sensor-shift image stabilization system which is very handy especially at lower shutter speeds.

Olympus VR-340 Sensor and Photography Features

Olympus VR-340 has a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor . You can shoot at maximum resolution of 4608 x 3456 pixels with aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9. VR-340 has a native ISO range of 100 - 3200 but unfortunately, Olympus VR-340 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-340 is not the highest resolution Small Sensor camera. Canon SX740 HS with its 21.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Olympus VR-340 vs Canon SX740 HS or take a look at Highest resolution Compact cameras list.

Let's look at how the size of the Olympus VR-340's 1/2.3-inch sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

Comparison image of Olympus VR-340 Sensor Size with other standard sensors

Olympus VR-340 LCD

Olympus VR-340 has a Fixed Type 3.00-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 460k dots. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.

Unfortunately Olympus VR-340 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-340 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 Nikon Coolpix P7800 (Compare) or Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 (Lumix DMC-TZ100) (Compare).
Alternatively, check here the list of all Compact cameras with viewfinder..

Olympus VR-340 Connectivity, Storage and Battery

You can connect VR-340 to compatible devices via its HDMI port or USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port.

Olympus VR-340 Features Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Max Video	Battery Life	Wi-fi	Bluetooth	NFC
Olympus VG-160 Compare	1280 x 720	165shots	No	No	No
Nikon S6200 Compare	1280 x 720	250shots	No	No	No
Nikon D750 Compare	1920 x 1080	1230shots	Yes	No	No
Fujifilm X30 Compare	1920 x 1080	470shots	Yes	No	No
Panasonic GH5 Compare	3840 x 2160	410shots	Yes	Yes	No
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Compare	1920 x 1080	200shots	No	No	No
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Compare	1920 x 1080	340shots	No	No	No
Olympus XZ-10 Compare	1920 x 1080	240shots	No	No	No

Olympus VR-340 Video Features

With Olympus VR-340, 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 .

Microphones, Speaker and Headphone Connections

Olympus VR-340 has a built-in Mono microphone and a Mono speaker. On the other hand, Olympus VR-340 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.

Olympus VR-340 Other Features

Max Shutter speed

Olympus VR-340 can shoot continuously at max speed of Unknown and has max shutter speed of 1/2000 sec.

Flash

Unfortunately VR-340 doesn't have an external flash shoe so you are limited with the built-in flash.

Focusing

Olympus VR-340 features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system.

Olympus VR-340 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-340 Good for?

In this section, we review and score Olympus VR-340 in 5 different photography areas.

Olympus VR-340 for Portrait Photography

Olympus VR-340 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-340.

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 of how we scored Olympus VR-340 for Portrait Photography

Olympus VR-340 for Street Photography

Olympus VR-340 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-340 for Street Photography

Olympus VR-340 for Sports Photography

Olympus VR-340 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-340.

Image Stabilization
240 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
Environmental Sealings
Unknown 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: f5.70
No RAW shooting capability

Read the details of how we scored Olympus VR-340 for Sports Photography

Olympus VR-340 for Daily Photography

Olympus VR-340 has a score of 59 for Daily Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Daily is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Daily Photography list.

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 of how we scored Olympus VR-340 for Daily Photography

Olympus VR-340 for Landscape Photography

Olympus VR-340 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-340.

24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
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-340 for Landscape Photography

Olympus VR-340 Alternatives

In this section, we analyse how Olympus VR-340 compares with other Compact cameras within a similar price range.

Read a more detailed analysis of Olympus VR-340 alternatives.

Popular Comparisons of Olympus VR-340

Here are the eight most popular comparisons of the Olympus VR-340 amongst Camera Decision readers.

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Olympus VR-340 Alternatives in Cameras

It would also be interesting to compare Olympus VR-340 with Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked cameras in Olympus VR-340's price range.

Olympus VR-340 Conclusion and Scores

Currently, Olympus VR-340 has an Overall Score of 37/100 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-340 is ranked #278 out of 631 in Compact cameras (Top 20 Compact), and ranked #885 out of 1268 in all Cameras (Top 20 Overall).

#885 out of 1268 in Top Ranking Cameras
#278 out of 631 in Top Ranking Compact Cameras
#74 out of 262 in Top Ranking Small Sensor Compact Cameras
#384 out of 740 in Top Ranking Small Sensor Sensor Cameras
#79 out of 536 in Lightest Compact Cameras with Small Sensor sensor(125g)
#542 out of 920 in Top Ranking Cameras with Fixed Type Screen
Geek Score: 0

Olympus VR-340

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Main Scores

Imaging

Features

Value for Money

Portability

Overall Score

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Frequently Asked Questions about Olympus VR-340

Does the Olympus VR-340 have Image Stabilization?
Does the Olympus VR-340 have RAW support?
Does the Olympus VR-340 have Weather Sealing?
Does the Olympus VR-340 have built-in GPS?
What is the Max ISO of Olympus VR-340?
What is the Sensor Size of Olympus VR-340?
is the Olympus VR-340 a Full Frame (FF) camera?
Does the Olympus VR-340 have Touch Screen?
Does the Olympus VR-340 have built-in Wireless?
What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Olympus VR-340?
What is the Weight of Olympus VR-340?
What are the Dimensions of Olympus VR-340?

Olympus VR-340 Detailed Specifications

General
Brand	Olympus
Model	Olympus VR-340
Announced	2012-01-10
Body Type	Compact
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	24-240 mm (10×)
Max Aperture	F3.0-5.7
Macro Focus Range	n/a
Screen
Screen Type	Fixed Type
Screen Technology	TFT Color LCD
Screen Size	3.00"
Screen Resolution	460k 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
Max 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	4.80 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	16 megapixels
Max Image Resolution	4608 x 3456
Max Native ISO	3,200
Min Native ISO	100
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	Unknown
Number of Cross Focus Points	0
Video Features
Video Resolutions	1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720
Video Formats	Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Weight	125g
Physical Dimensions	96 x 57 x 19mm
Battery Model	LI-50B
Other Features
Self Timer	Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None
Storage Type	SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage Slots	1