Olympus E-30 vs Sony HX80

Following is a thorough review of the Olympus E-30 versus Sony HX80, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and HX80 (18MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and HX80 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-30 was revealed 8 years prior to the HX80 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX80 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a full comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-30 grades vs the HX80 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-30 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-30 Gallery and Sony HX80 Gallery.

When you are going to carry around your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-30 enjoys external measurements of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") with a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) whilst the Sony HX80 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-30 versus Sony HX80 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-30 and the HX80.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-30 and HX80 is 60 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by checking out technical specs. The picture here may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-30 and HX80.

As you have seen, the two cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-30 having a larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony HX80 will produce extra detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images way more aggressively. The more aged E-30 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.