Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic GH2

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-30 and Panasonic GH2, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and GH2 (16MP) but both cameras provide the identical sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-30 was announced 24 months earlier than the GH2 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-30 matches up against the GH2 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-30 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-30 Gallery and Panasonic GH2 Gallery.

For those who are looking to carry your camera often, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-30 enjoys exterior 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 Panasonic GH2 has dimensions of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") and a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-30 and Panasonic GH2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-30 compared to the GH2.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and GH2 is 60 and 70 respectively.

Sometimes, it is hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing simply by reading through a spec sheet. The photograph underneath may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-30 and GH2.

As you can see, the two cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit different megapixels. You should expect the Panasonic GH2 to give you greater detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The older E-30 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.