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Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Pentax Optio RZ10 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10 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 Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
  • Revealed March 2009
Pentax RZ10
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-280mm (F3.2-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 97 x 61 x 33mm
  • Announced July 2011
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Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-30 (12MP) and the RZ10 (14MP) is relatively similar but the E-30 (Four Thirds) and RZ10 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-30 was manufactured 3 years before the RZ10 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax RZ10 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the E-30 matches up versus the RZ10 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Pentax RZ10

 E-30 RZ10 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax RZ10 over the Olympus E-30

 RZ10 E-30 
AnnouncedJuly 2011March 2009Newer by 28 months

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Pentax RZ10

 E-30 RZ10 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen size2.7"2.7"Same screen sizing
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-30 offers outside 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) and the Pentax RZ10 has specifications of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-30 vs the RZ10.

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and RZ10 is 60 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's hard to see the contrast between sensor dimensions just by reviewing specifications. The pic underneath might provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-30 and RZ10.

To sum up, both cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-30 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Pentax RZ10 will offer greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-30 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 Portrait photography factors
Pentax RZ10 Portrait photography factors
59
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
35
you can focus manually
good resolution (14 megapixels)
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 Street photography highlights
Pentax RZ10 Street photography highlights
72
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography info
Pentax RZ10 Sports photography info
51
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (750 per charge)
40
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
environment sealing
continuous shooting slow (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (178 shots)
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 Travel photography details
Pentax RZ10 Travel photography details
49
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
lack of Time Lapse mode
not so great battery pack (750 per charge)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
66
environment sealing
good resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
very long reach (280mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (178 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography details
Pentax RZ10 Landscape photography details
52
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inches)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (750 shots)
lack of Time Lapse mode
43
you can focus manually
fairly wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
environment sealing
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
screen is small (2.7")
manual exposure not available
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
bad battery pack (178 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 Vlogging highlights
Pentax RZ10 Vlogging highlights
18
lack of video recording
28
fairly wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
display is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone jack
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Olympus E-30 vs Pentax RZ10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Pentax RZ10
 Olympus E-30Pentax Optio RZ10
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-30 Pentax Optio RZ10
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2009-03-24 2011-07-19
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-280mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.2-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech HyperCrystal II LCD TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 2.80 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, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 695 gr (1.53 lb) 178 gr (0.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 97 x 61 x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 pictures 178 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-1 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $1,299 $200