Olympus VR-340 First Impressions Review

Modes Overview

The VR-340 has no hardware mode dial, not a great move in our opinion, but a virtual dial performs the same function in the quick menu. Program Auto is available, along with Intelligent Auto, a dedicated Scene mode, and a dedicated Magic Filters mode.

Auto Mode

The VR-340's iAuto mode is a scene recognizing auto mode, meaning it will attempt to identify what type of picture is being taken (portrait, landscape, action, etc.) and adjust camera settings accordingly.

Movie Mode

The VR-340 is a 720p video device, though it's also possible to shoot in 480p or 240p. Zoom control access is unlocked while a recording is in progress, so it's possible to zoom in or out on your subject without pausing the movie.

Drive/Burst Mode

Continuous burst mode shooting will be possible, but Olympus has not yet revealed specifications for this feature. The self-timer will come in two varieties: 12 second and 2 second.

Playback Mode

The playback menu is part of the tab-based main menu, and includes options like fullscreen display with 10x magnification, index display, and slideshow. In-camera editing options are also available from this menu.

Here again, operating speed is sluggish. Memory access is relatively slow, and browsing through multiple images can be a bit of a chore. This is a pretty common problem with inexpensive cameras, but it's odd to see this from an Olympus.

Picture Quality & Size Options

Six 4:3 resolution options of varying size are available on the SZ-12, as well as two 16:9 options. But the camera is not capable of lossless RAW encoding and JPEG compression quality is locked.