Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-10
60 Imaging
46 Features
54 Overall
49


90 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-10 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.7" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
- Launched March 2009
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 1600
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-504mm (F3.1-4.4) lens
- 215g - 106 x 67 x 38mm
- Launched February 2011

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-10 Overview
Below is a extended overview of the Olympus E-30 versus Olympus SZ-10, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are manufactured by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-30 (12MP) and the SZ-10 (14MP) is fairly close but the E-30 (Four Thirds) and SZ-10 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor measurements.

The E-30 was brought out 22 months before the SZ-10 making them a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera.
Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-30 grades vs the SZ-10 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-10 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-30 and Olympus SZ-10. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-30 Gallery and Olympus SZ-10 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Olympus SZ-10
E-30 | SZ-10 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Very precise focusing | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-10 over the Olympus E-30
SZ-10 | E-30 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | February 2011 | ![]() | March 2009 | More recent by 22 months |
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+230k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Olympus SZ-10
E-30 | SZ-10 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Lack of Touch friendly display |
Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-10 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera often, you have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-30 comes with exterior dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") having a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-10 has proportions of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-30 versus Olympus SZ-10 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at that time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-30 versus the SZ-10.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and SZ-10 is 60 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-10 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it's difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements purely by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph below should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-30 and SZ-10.
As you can see, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-30 featuring a larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus SZ-10 will render greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The older E-30 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-10 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-10 Specifications
Olympus E-30 | Olympus SZ-10 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Olympus |
Model type | Olympus E-30 | Olympus SZ-10 |
Category | Advanced DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Launched | 2009-03-24 | 2011-02-08 |
Body design | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic III+ | TruePic III+ |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4288 x 3216 |
Maximum native ISO | 3200 | 1600 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Total focus points | 11 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 28-504mm (18.0x) |
Max aperture | - | f/3.1-4.4 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 1cm |
Amount of lenses | 45 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of screen | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 2.7" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 230k dot | 460k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Screen technology | HyperCrystal II LCD | TFT Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 98 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.56x | - |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60 seconds | 4 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/8000 seconds | 1/2000 seconds |
Continuous shutter speed | 5.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 13.00 m | 7.10 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 |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | 1/250 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
Video format | - | Motion JPEG |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
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 | 695g (1.53 lbs) | 215g (0.47 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") | 106 x 67 x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") |
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 images | 220 images |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLM-1 | LI-50B |
Self timer | Yes (12 or 2 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage media | Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Price at release | $1,299 | $300 |