Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5R

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5R, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and NEX-5R (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5R (APS-C) offer different sensor dimensions.

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The E-30 was launched 4 years earlier than the NEX-5R which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a in-depth comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-30 matches up versus the NEX-5R in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-30 and Sony Alpha NEX-5R. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-30 Gallery and Sony NEX-5R Gallery.

If you are looking to travel with your camera, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-30 features physical dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") along with a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5R has dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5R in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use at that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-30 vs the NEX-5R.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and NEX-5R is 60 and 89 respectively.

Usually, it can be tough to picture the contrast in sensor dimensions just by looking through technical specs. The image underneath should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-30 and NEX-5R.

As you have seen, the two cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-30 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony NEX-5R will result in greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged E-30 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.