Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS15

Below is a extended analysis of the Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS15, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-30 (12MP) and the ZS15 (12MP) is fairly close but the E-30 (Four Thirds) and ZS15 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-30 was unveiled 4 years before the ZS15 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a full comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-30 scores against the ZS15 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-30 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-30 Gallery & Panasonic ZS15 Gallery.

If you're aiming to lug around your camera, you will have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-30 comes with outside dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") along with a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS15 has proportions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS15 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-30 compared to the ZS15.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-30 and ZS15 is 60 and 92 respectively.

Generally, it is very tough to envision the contrast in sensor measurements simply by looking through technical specs. The photograph here will offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-30 and ZS15.

As you have seen, both of those cameras provide the same MP but not the same sensor measurements. The E-30 has got the larger sensor which should make getting shallow depth of field less difficult. The older E-30 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.