Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12
60 Imaging
46 Features
54 Overall
49
89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-12 Key Specs
(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
(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
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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.
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsThe 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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This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-30 & Olympus SZ-12. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-30 Gallery & Olympus SZ-12 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Olympus SZ-12
| E-30 | SZ-12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus | More precise focusing | |||
| Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating display | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus E-30
| SZ-12 | E-30 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | January 2012 | March 2009 | Fresher by 34 months | |
| Display size | 3" | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") | |
| Display resolution | 460k | 230k | Clearer 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.
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.

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