Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic SZ5

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic SZ5, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-30 (12MP) and the SZ5 (14MP) is very close but the E-30 (Four Thirds) and SZ5 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizes.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The E-30 was brought out 4 years prior to the SZ5 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-30 grades versus the SZ5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-30 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-30 Gallery & Panasonic SZ5 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-30 has physical measurements of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") along with a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ5 has dimensions of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

See the Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic SZ5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-30 compared to the SZ5.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and SZ5 is 60 and 95 respectively.

Generally, it is very tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizing simply by viewing a spec sheet. The visual below will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-30 and SZ5.

Clearly, both of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-30 featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic SZ5 will provide you with greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics way more aggressively. The older E-30 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.