Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS20

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-30 and Panasonic ZS20, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-30 (12MP) and the ZS20 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-30 (Four Thirds) and ZS20 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The E-30 was announced 4 years before the ZS20 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the E-30 grades vs the ZS20 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-30 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-30 Gallery & Panasonic ZS20 Gallery.

In case you're looking to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-30 has physical dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") with a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS20 has dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-30 and Panasonic ZS20 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-30 against the ZS20.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-30 and ZS20 is 60 and 92 respectively.

Normally, it can be difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions merely by reviewing specs. The pic underneath will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-30 and ZS20.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-30 using its bigger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic ZS20 will offer extra detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The more aged E-30 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.