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Olympus E-30 vs Olympus E-PL7

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus E-PL7 Key Specs

Olympus E-30
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
  • Introduced March 2009
Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Released September 2014
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL6
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL8
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Olympus E-30 vs Olympus E-PL7 Overview

Here, we will be matching up the Olympus E-30 and Olympus E-PL7, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are produced by Olympus. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and E-PL7 (16MP) but both cameras posses the identical sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-30 was manufactured 6 years earlier than the E-PL7 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-30 matches up against the E-PL7 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Olympus E-PL7

 E-30 E-PL7 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Olympus E-30

 E-PL7 E-30 
ReleasedSeptember 2014March 2009More recent by 66 months
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kSharper screen (+807k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Olympus E-PL7

 E-30 E-PL7 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus E-PL7 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-30 enjoys physical dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") with a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Olympus E-PL7 has sizing of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-30 and Olympus E-PL7 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-30 vs the E-PL7.

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus E-PL7 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and E-PL7 is 60 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus E-PL7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus E-PL7 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements purely by looking at specs. The photograph underneath might offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-30 and E-PL7.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit different resolution. You should expect the Olympus E-PL7 to give you extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older E-30 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus E-PL7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus E-PL7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus E-PL7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 Portrait photography info
Olympus E-PL7 Portrait photography info
59
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
71
focusing manually
good resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 Street photography features
Olympus E-PL7 Street photography features
72
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
84
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-30
Sports photography with Olympus E-PL7
51
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (750 shots)
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-PL7 as a Travel photography camera
49
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
lack of Timelapse mode
terrible battery life (750 shots)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
85
features touch to focus
good resolution (16MP)
selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography factors
Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography factors
52
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (750 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse mode
79
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 Vlogging highlights
Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging highlights
18
lack of video recording
78
selfie friendly display
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of external microphone support
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Olympus E-30 vs Olympus E-PL7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Olympus E-PL7
 Olympus E-30Olympus PEN E-PL7
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-30 Olympus PEN E-PL7
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-03-24 2014-09-01
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III+ TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 11 81
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech HyperCrystal II LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames per sec 8.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off no built-in flash
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 695 grams (1.53 lbs) 357 grams (0.79 lbs)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 72
DXO Color Depth rating 21.3 22.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 12.4
DXO Low light rating 530 873
Other
Battery life 750 shots 350 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-1 BLS-50
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $1,299 $499