Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic ZS8

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-30 versus Panasonic ZS8, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-30 (12MP) and the ZS8 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the E-30 (Four Thirds) and ZS8 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-30 was introduced 3 years prior to the ZS8 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-30 matches up versus the ZS8 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-30 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-30 Gallery and Panasonic ZS8 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera often, you will have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-30 comes with external dimensions 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 ZS8 has specifications of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-30 versus Panasonic ZS8 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. The following is the front view scale comparison of the E-30 and the ZS8.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and ZS8 is 60 and 92 respectively.

Usually, it is very tough to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements purely by seeing a spec sheet. The visual here should give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-30 and ZS8.

Clearly, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-30 with its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic ZS8 will show more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older E-30 will be behind in sensor technology.