Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-7

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-30 and Sony NEX-7, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and NEX-7 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-30 was unveiled 3 years earlier than the NEX-7 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-30 scores vs the NEX-7 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-30 and Sony Alpha NEX-7. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-30 Gallery and Sony NEX-7 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-30 has got exterior 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) whilst the Sony NEX-7 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-30 and Sony NEX-7 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-30 and the NEX-7.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and NEX-7 is 60 and 84 respectively.

In many cases, it's tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizing only by going over a spec sheet. The photograph underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-30 and NEX-7.

Clearly, each of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-30 with its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Sony NEX-7 will offer you extra detail having an extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots far more aggressively. The older E-30 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.