Olympus E-1 vs Sony HX30V

Here is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-1 vs Sony HX30V, one being a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and HX30V (18MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and HX30V (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-1 was unveiled 9 years before the HX30V and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a detailed comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-1 grades versus the HX30V with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Sony HX30V Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-1 features exterior dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") along with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Sony HX30V has dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-1 vs Sony HX30V in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-1 compared to the HX30V.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and HX30V is 59 and 90 respectively.

Typically, it is hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing merely by reading a spec sheet. The photograph below will help give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and HX30V.

Clearly, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-1 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Sony HX30V will deliver extra detail having an extra 13 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots a little more aggressively. The older E-1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.