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Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SH-50

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Olympus SH-50 front
Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
48
Overall
43

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SH-50 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
  • Announced March 2009
Olympus SH-50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 269g - 112 x 63 x 42mm
  • Announced January 2013
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Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SH-50 Overview

Following is a in-depth review of the Olympus E-30 versus Olympus SH-50, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are manufactured by Olympus. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and SH-50 (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and SH-50 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-30 was announced 4 years before the SH-50 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SH-50 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a complete comparison, here is a short view of how the E-30 grades vs the SH-50 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Olympus SH-50

 E-30 SH-50 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus SH-50 over the Olympus E-30

 SH-50 E-30 
AnnouncedJanuary 2013March 2009More modern by 46 months
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Olympus SH-50

 E-30 SH-50 
Manual focus More accurate focus

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SH-50 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-30 comes with external measurements of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") and a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) while the Olympus SH-50 has dimensions of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-30 versus Olympus SH-50 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-30 compared to the SH-50.

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SH-50 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and SH-50 is 60 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SH-50 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SH-50 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes merely by looking through specs. The picture underneath will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-30 and SH-50.

As you can plainly see, both cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-30 using its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus SH-50 will render greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-30 will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SH-50 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SH-50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SH-50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus SH-50 as a Portrait photography camera
59
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
44
manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
includes face detect focusing
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 Street photography advice
Olympus SH-50 Street photography advice
72
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
64
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports focus via touch
lighter than others (269g)
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography information
Olympus SH-50 Sports photography information
51
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
low MP (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (750 per charge)
48
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 Travel photography factors
Olympus SH-50 Travel photography factors
49
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Timelapse mode
terrible battery life (750 per charge)
low MP (12 megapixels)
69
lighter than others (269 grams)
supports focus via touch
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography factors
Olympus SH-50 Landscape photography factors
52
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
low MP (12MP)
terrible battery life (750 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
49
manual focus
relatively wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus SH-50 as a Vlogging camera
18
no video recording
34
relatively wide (25mm)
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others (269g)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of microphone jack
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Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SH-50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Olympus SH-50
 Olympus E-30Olympus SH-50
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-30 Olympus SH-50
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2009-03-24 2013-01-08
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ TruePic VI
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
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
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech HyperCrystal II LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 15s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 4.00 m
Flash options Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 695 grams (1.53 lb) 269 grams (0.59 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 112 x 63 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.3 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 530 not tested
Other
Battery life 750 pictures -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLM-1 SLB-10A
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $1,299 $300