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Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-7 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
  • Released March 2009
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Announced December 2011
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Sony NEX-7

 E-30 NEX-7 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Olympus E-30

 NEX-7 E-30 
AnnouncedDecember 2011March 2009Fresher by 33 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Sony NEX-7

 E-30 NEX-7 
Manually focus More precise focus
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

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

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 Portrait photography advice
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography advice
59
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
supports RAW files
low resolution sensor (12MP)
77
you can focus manually
MP count good (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 Street photography factors
Sony NEX-7 Street photography factors
72
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
76
has a tilting screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography information
Sony NEX-7 Sports photography information
51
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
bad battery pack (750 CIPA)
61
MP count good (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
good battery life (430 shots)
lack of image stabilization
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 Travel photography highlights
Sony NEX-7 Travel photography highlights
49
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
lack of Timelapse function
bad battery pack (750 per charge)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
70
good battery life (430 CIPA)
MP count good (24MP)
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography info
Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography info
52
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is small (2.7")
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
bad battery pack (750 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse function
72
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3")
MP count good (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
good battery life (430 shots)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 Vlogging information
Sony NEX-7 Vlogging information
18
no video recording
35
has face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with mic support
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Sony NEX-7
 Olympus E-30Sony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-30 Sony Alpha NEX-7
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2009-03-24 2011-12-13
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 3200 16000
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 45 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display sizing 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology HyperCrystal II LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage 98% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 6.00 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, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 695 grams (1.53 pounds) 400 grams (0.88 pounds)
Dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 81
DXO Color Depth score 21.3 24.1
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 13.4
DXO Low light score 530 1016
Other
Battery life 750 photos 430 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-1 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $1,299 $699