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Olympus E-30 vs Sony A560

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A560 front
Portability
64
Imaging
54
Features
78
Overall
63

Olympus E-30 vs Sony A560 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
  • Revealed March 2009
Sony A560
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Launched August 2010
  • Older Model is Sony A500
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony A560 Overview

In this article, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-30 and Sony A560, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-30 (12MP) and the A560 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-30 (Four Thirds) and A560 (APS-C) use different sensor size.

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The E-30 was released 17 months prior to the A560 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A560 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-30 grades against the A560 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Sony A560

 E-30 A560 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A560 over the Olympus E-30

 A560 E-30 
LaunchedAugust 2010March 2009Fresher by 17 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Sony A560

 E-30 A560 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Touch screen Absent Touch screen

Olympus E-30 vs Sony A560 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-30 has outside dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Sony A560 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

See the Olympus E-30 and Sony A560 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use at that time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-30 vs the A560.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony A560 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and A560 is 60 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony A560 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony A560 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizing simply by seeing technical specs. The graphic below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-30 and A560.

As you can tell, both of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-30 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh harder and the Sony A560 will provide more detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-30 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony A560 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony A560 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Sony A560 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-30
Portrait photography with Sony A560
59
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
low MP (12MP)
72
focusing manually
MP count good (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 Street photography information
Sony A560 Street photography information
72
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
75
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography details
Sony A560 Sports photography details
51
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
low MP (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (750 CIPA)
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
good battery (1,050 per charge)
sensor has phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 Travel photography factors
Sony A560 Travel photography factors
49
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
missing Timelapse function
not so great battery power (750 per charge)
low MP (12MP)
60
good battery (1,050 shots)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography information
Sony A560 Landscape photography information
52
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
small screen (2.7")
low MP (12MP)
not so great battery power (750 CIPA)
missing Timelapse function
73
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
good battery (1,050 CIPA)
2 card slots
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 Vlogging advice
Sony A560 Vlogging advice
18
lack of video recording
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes microphone support
display is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-30 vs Sony A560 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Sony A560
 Olympus E-30Sony Alpha DSLR-A560
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-30 Sony Alpha DSLR-A560
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2009-03-24 2010-08-24
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 45 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech HyperCrystal II LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 98% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 12.00 m
Flash settings 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 Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 695 grams (1.53 lbs) 599 grams (1.32 lbs)
Dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 70
DXO Color Depth rating 21.3 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 12.3
DXO Low light rating 530 817
Other
Battery life 750 images 1050 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-1 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One Dual
Cost at launch $1,299 $650