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Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Olympus SZ-12 front
Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12 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 Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
  • Revealed March 2009
Olympus SZ-12
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Introduced January 2012
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12 Overview

Here, we are matching up the Olympus E-30 versus Olympus SZ-12, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are built by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-30 (12MP) and the SZ-12 (14MP) is fairly close but the E-30 (Four Thirds) and SZ-12 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

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The E-30 was launched 3 years before the SZ-12 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a complete comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-30 matches up vs the SZ-12 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Olympus SZ-12

 E-30 SZ-12 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus E-30

 SZ-12 E-30 
IntroducedJanuary 2012March 2009Fresher by 34 months
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Olympus SZ-12

 E-30 SZ-12 
Touch display Missing Touch display

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-30 provides outside 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 SZ-12 has dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-30 versus Olympus SZ-12 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-30 against the SZ-12.

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and SZ-12 is 60 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to picture the difference in sensor sizing purely by viewing specifications. The photograph underneath will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-30 and SZ-12.

Plainly, both of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-30 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus SZ-12 will provide you with extra detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively. The older E-30 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 Portrait photography information
Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography information
59
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
33
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
has face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Street photography camera
Olympus SZ-12 as a Street photography camera
72
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors in class (226g)
fixed screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography highlights
Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography highlights
51
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low frames per second (5.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
low battery (750 shots)
40
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (14MP)
has tracking focus
max fps very slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery (220 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 Travel photography info
Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography info
49
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse recording
low battery (750 CIPA)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
65
lighter than competitors in class (226g)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
does not have Timelapse function
not so great battery (220 per charge)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography details
Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography details
52
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery (750 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse recording
40
quite wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not available
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
not so great battery (220 per charge)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 Vlogging highlights
Olympus SZ-12 Vlogging highlights
18
can't shoot video
31
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect autofocus
lighter than competitors in class (226g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone socket
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Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Olympus SZ-12
 Olympus E-30Olympus SZ-12
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-30 Olympus SZ-12
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2009-03-24 2012-01-10
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
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 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 3200 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 11 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech HyperCrystal II LCD TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1700 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m -
Flash modes 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
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 695g (1.53 lb) 226g (0.50 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.3 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 530 not tested
Other
Battery life 750 photographs 220 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-1 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $1,299 $350