Olympus E-30 vs Pentax W90

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-30 and Pentax W90, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Waterproof by brands Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the E-30 (12MP) and the W90 (12MP) is relatively well matched but the E-30 (Four Thirds) and W90 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-30 was brought out 11 months prior to the W90 so they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax W90 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-30 grades vs the W90 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-30 & Pentax Optio W90. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-30 Gallery & Pentax W90 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor 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") and a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) whilst the Pentax W90 has proportions of 108mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") having a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-30 and Pentax W90 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the E-30 versus the W90.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and W90 is 60 and 94 respectively.

Quite often, it can be hard to see the contrast between sensor sizing just by reading through a spec sheet. The visual underneath should provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-30 and W90.

Clearly, both cameras have the same megapixel count albeit not the same sensor sizing. The E-30 provides the bigger sensor which will make obtaining shallow depth of field less difficult. The older E-30 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.