Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

The following is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are created by Olympus. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-30 was manufactured 3 years earlier than the SZ-31MR iHS which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-30 scores vs the SZ-31MR iHS in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-30 & Olympus SZ-31MR iHS. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-30 Gallery & Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery.

If you are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-30 enjoys physical measurements of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has sizing of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-30 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-30 versus the SZ-31MR iHS.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and SZ-31MR iHS is 60 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it is tough to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions purely by checking a spec sheet. The image here may offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-30 and SZ-31MR iHS.

Clearly, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-30 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS will give you more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots more aggressively. The more aged E-30 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.