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Olympus E-30 vs Sony HX9V

Portability
60
Imaging
47
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
46
Overall
41

Olympus E-30 vs Sony HX9V 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 HX9V
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 245g - 105 x 59 x 34mm
  • Launched July 2011
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony HX9V Overview

In this article, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-30 and Sony HX9V, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and HX9V (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and HX9V (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The E-30 was manufactured 3 years earlier than the HX9V which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX9V being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-30 scores versus the HX9V in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Sony HX9V

 E-30 HX9V 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony HX9V over the Olympus E-30

 HX9V E-30 
LaunchedJuly 2011March 2009Newer by 28 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Sony HX9V

 E-30 HX9V 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-30 vs Sony HX9V Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-30 has got outer dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") and a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) while the Sony HX9V has measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Olympus E-30 and Sony HX9V in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-30 vs the HX9V.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony HX9V size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and HX9V is 60 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony HX9V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony HX9V Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very tough to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions just by seeing a spec sheet. The pic here might give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-30 and HX9V.

As you can see, both of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-30 featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony HX9V will provide more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots far more aggressively. The more aged E-30 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony HX9V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony HX9V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Sony HX9V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 Portrait photography info
Sony HX9V Portrait photography info
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
saves RAW files
low resolution sensor (12MP)
39
focusing manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 Street photography factors
Sony HX9V Street photography factors
72
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (245g)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Sports photography camera
Sony HX9V as a Sports photography camera
52
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (750 CIPA)
44
excellent zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Travel photography camera
Sony HX9V as a Travel photography camera
49
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
doesn't have Timelapse mode
terrible battery (750 shots)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
69
lighter than others in class (245g)
good megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
decently wide (24mm)
great reach (384mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography advice
Sony HX9V Landscape photography advice
52
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (750 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
49
focusing manually
decently wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 Vlogging advice
Sony HX9V Vlogging advice
18
no video recording
33
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others in class (245 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of microphone support
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony HX9V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Sony HX9V
 Olympus E-30Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-30 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2009-03-24 2011-07-19
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 3200 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-384mm (16.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Available lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech HyperCrystal II LCD XtraFine LCD display with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 4.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 695g (1.53 lbs) 245g (0.54 lbs)
Dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 105 x 59 x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.3 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 530 not tested
Other
Battery life 750 photographs -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLM-1 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Retail price $1,299 $328