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Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30 Key Specs

Olympus E-30
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
  • Announced March 2009
Panasonic ZS30
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 198g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Released January 2013
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Replaced the Panasonic ZS25
  • Later Model is Panasonic ZS35
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Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30 Overview

The following is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and ZS30 (18MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and ZS30 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-30 was unveiled 4 years earlier than the ZS30 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-30 matches up versus the ZS30 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Panasonic ZS30

 E-30 ZS30 
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Olympus E-30

 ZS30 E-30 
ReleasedJanuary 2013March 2009Newer by 46 months
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kSharper screen (+690k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Panasonic ZS30

 E-30 ZS30 

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to travel with your camera, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-30 has external measurements of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") having a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS30 has specifications of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-30 versus the ZS30.

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-30 and ZS30 is 60 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to envision the difference in sensor dimensions purely by seeing a spec sheet. The image here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-30 and ZS30.

As you can see, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-30 using its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS30 will show extra detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-30 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic ZS30 Portrait photography highlights
59
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
delivers RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
33
resolution is good (18 megapixels)
no manual focus
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 Street photography factors
Panasonic ZS30 Street photography factors
72
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
66
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features focus via touch
lighter than competition (198 grams)
fixed screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography information
Panasonic ZS30 Sports photography information
51
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect auto focus
max fps low (5.0 fps)
low MP (12MP)
terrible battery life (750 per charge)
46
long zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
low max shutter speed (1/1,200s)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery power (260 per charge)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 Travel photography details
Panasonic ZS30 Travel photography details
49
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
missing Timelapse function
terrible battery life (750 shots)
low MP (12MP)
69
lighter than competition (198 grams)
features focus via touch
resolution is good (18MP)
built-in flash
decently wide (24mm)
great reach (480mm)
missing Timelapse mode
bad battery power (260 CIPA)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Landscape photography camera
52
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
tiny screen (2.7")
low MP (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (750 per charge)
missing Timelapse function
44
decently wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18MP)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
bad battery power (260 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-30
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS30
18
no video
35
decently wide (24mm)
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (198g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
missing external microphone support
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Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Panasonic ZS30
 Olympus E-30Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-30 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
Also called - Lumix DMC-TZ40
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2009-03-24 2013-01-07
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III+ -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech HyperCrystal II LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 15s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1200s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 6.40 m
Flash modes Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 695 grams (1.53 lb) 198 grams (0.44 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.3 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 530 not tested
Other
Battery life 750 shots 260 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-1 -
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $1,299 $250