Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-15

On this page, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-30 versus Olympus SZ-15, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are sold by Olympus. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and SZ-15 (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and SZ-15 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-30 was announced 5 years prior to the SZ-15 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-30 scores against the SZ-15 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-30 & Olympus SZ-15. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-30 Gallery & Olympus SZ-15 Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-30 provides outside dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") with a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-15 has proportions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") along with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-30 versus Olympus SZ-15 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with during that time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the E-30 and the SZ-15.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and SZ-15 is 60 and 88 respectively.

Usually, its hard to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions just by researching a spec sheet. The picture here will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-30 and SZ-15.

As you can see, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-30 with its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus SZ-15 will result in more detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-30 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.