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Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8 Key Specs

Olympus E-30
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
  • Launched March 2009
Panasonic FH8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-6.4) lens
  • 123g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Released January 2012
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Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8 Overview

Below is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and FH8 (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and FH8 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-30 was manufactured 3 years prior to the FH8 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-30 scores vs the FH8 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Panasonic FH8

 E-30 FH8 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH8 over the Olympus E-30

 FH8 E-30 
ReleasedJanuary 2012March 2009More recent by 34 months
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Panasonic FH8

 E-30 FH8 
Display resolution230k230kExact same display resolution
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-30 enjoys 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 Panasonic FH8 has measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the E-30 compared to the FH8.

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and FH8 is 60 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements only by going through a spec sheet. The visual underneath may provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-30 and FH8.

As you can see, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-30 because of its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic FH8 will provide extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older E-30 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 Portrait photography information
Panasonic FH8 Portrait photography information
59
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
34
decent MP (16 megapixels)
supports face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FH8 as a Street photography camera
72
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (123g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography information
Panasonic FH8 Sports photography information
51
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps low (5.0 frames/s)
low MP (12 megapixels)
bad battery pack (750 shots)
40
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FH8 Travel photography advice
49
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
does not have Timelapse mode
bad battery pack (750 per charge)
low MP (12 megapixels)
69
lighter than others (123 grams)
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
missing Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FH8 as a Landscape photography camera
52
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is small (2.7")
low MP (12MP)
bad battery pack (750 shots)
does not have Timelapse mode
43
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen size is decent (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.5)
manual mode not available
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 Vlogging features
Panasonic FH8 Vlogging features
18
can't shoot video
33
reasonably wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
lighter than others (123 grams)
slow max aperture (f2.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone socket
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Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Panasonic FH8
 Olympus E-30Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-30 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2009-03-24 2012-01-09
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III+ -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 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
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.5-6.4
Macro focus range - 4cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech HyperCrystal II LCD TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 8s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 5.60 m
Flash options Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - MPEG-4
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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 695 gr (1.53 pounds) 123 gr (0.27 pounds)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
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 photos 260 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-1 -
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $1,299 $149