Clicky

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic G9

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 front
Portability
62
Imaging
60
Features
90
Overall
72

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic G9 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 Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
  • Released March 2009
Panasonic G9
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 658g - 137 x 97 x 92mm
  • Launched November 2017
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic G9 Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-30 versus Panasonic G9, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference among the resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and G9 (20MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The E-30 was launched 9 years earlier than the G9 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic G9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-30 scores against the G9 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Panasonic G9

 E-30 G9 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G9 over the Olympus E-30

 G9 E-30 
LaunchedNovember 2017March 2009More recent by 105 months
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kCrisper screen (+810k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Panasonic G9

 E-30 G9 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFully ArticulatedFully Articulated screen
Selfie screen Both good for selfies

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic G9 Physical Comparison

When you are going to lug around your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-30 offers external measurements of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") and a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) whilst the Panasonic G9 has measurements of 137mm x 97mm x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") with a weight of 658 grams (1.45 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-30 versus Panasonic G9 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-30 vs the G9.

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic G9 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and G9 is 60 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic G9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic G9 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements only by seeing specs. The visual here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-30 and G9.

All in all, both of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different resolution. You should count on the Panasonic G9 to provide extra detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-30 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic G9 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic G9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic G9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic G9 Portrait photography highlights
59
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
delivers RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
76
manual focus
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
saves RAW files
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic G9 as a Street photography camera
72
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
75
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
offers focus via touch
weather proof
above average high ISO (25,600)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography factors
Panasonic G9 Sports photography factors
51
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
bad battery life (750 CIPA)
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
max frames per second high (20.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proof
not so great battery (400 shots)
lacks phase detect AF
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic G9 Travel photography highlights
49
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
missing Timelapse recording
bad battery life (750 per charge)
resolution not great (12MP)
70
weather proof
supports bluetooth
offers focus via touch
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
not so great battery (400 shots)
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic G9 Landscape photography highlights
52
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is small (2.7")
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
bad battery life (750 per charge)
missing Timelapse recording
76
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
doesnt have low pass filter
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proof
two card slots
not so great battery (400 CIPA)
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-30
Vlogging with Panasonic G9
18
no video recording
76
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes external mic socket
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic G9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Panasonic G9
 Olympus E-30Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-30 Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Class Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Released 2009-03-24 2017-11-08
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III+ -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 225
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Display size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology HyperCrystal II LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,680 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 98% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x 0.83x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 20.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 695 grams (1.53 lb) 658 grams (1.45 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 137 x 97 x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6")
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 shots 400 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-1 DMW-BLF19
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported)
Card slots One Dual
Price at launch $1,299 $1,500