Olympus E-30 vs Olympus E-PL9

In this article, we are reviewing the Olympus E-30 and Olympus E-PL9, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are offered by Olympus. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and E-PL9 (16MP) but they possess the same exact sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-30 was launched 10 years prior to the E-PL9 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-30 scores vs the E-PL9 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-30 & Olympus PEN E-PL9. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-30 Gallery & Olympus E-PL9 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-30 features outside dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") along with a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Olympus E-PL9 has sizing of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-30 and Olympus E-PL9 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select during that time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-30 against the E-PL9.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and E-PL9 is 60 and 85 respectively.

Often, it's difficult to see the gap in sensor sizing merely by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph below will provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-30 and E-PL9.

Clearly, both cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but not the same MP. You can expect to see the Olympus E-PL9 to result in greater detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The older E-30 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.