Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS30

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS30, former being a Pro DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and ZS30 (18MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and ZS30 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-1 was introduced 10 years prior to the ZS30 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-1 scores versus the ZS30 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Panasonic ZS30 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-1 has exterior dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") and a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS30 has specifications of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS30 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-1 compared to the ZS30.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-1 and ZS30 is 59 and 92 respectively.

Generally, its tough to visualise the difference between sensor sizing merely by reviewing technical specs. The visual here will give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and ZS30.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-1 with its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS30 will deliver greater detail using its extra 13MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older E-1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.