Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-10

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.