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Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 Key Specs

Olympus E-30
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 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 RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Introduced August 2012
  • Successor is Sony RX100 II
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 Overview

Here, we are analyzing the Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference between the resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and RX100 (1") boast different sensor sizing.

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The E-30 was introduced 4 years earlier than the RX100 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving right into a full comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-30 grades vs the RX100 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Sony RX100

 E-30 RX100 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Olympus E-30

 RX100 E-30 
IntroducedAugust 2012March 2009More modern by 41 months
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1229k230kSharper display (+999k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Sony RX100

 E-30 RX100 
Manual focus More exact focus
Touch display Neither features Touch display

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-30 enjoys external dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Sony RX100 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-30 compared to the RX100.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and RX100 is 60 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes just by reading technical specs. The image below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-30 and RX100.

As you have seen, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-30 with its larger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Sony RX100 will deliver more detail using its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics way more aggressively. The more aged E-30 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 Portrait photography details
Sony RX100 Portrait photography details
59
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
64
you can focus manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000 seconds)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
features face detect focusing
saves RAW files
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 Street photography factors
Sony RX100 Street photography factors
72
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
79
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
lighter than others (240g)
good high ISO (25,600)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-30
Sports photography with Sony RX100
51
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect autofocus
low fps (5.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
low battery life (750 shots)
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
features tracking focus
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 Travel photography highlights
Sony RX100 Travel photography highlights
49
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
missing Timelapse recording
low battery life (750 shots)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
79
lighter than others (240g)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 as a Landscape photography camera
52
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
sensor resolution low (12MP)
low battery life (750 per charge)
missing Timelapse recording
74
you can focus manually
really wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-30
Vlogging with Sony RX100
18
no video recording
38
really wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others (240g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone jack
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Sony RX100
 Olympus E-30Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-30 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Class Advanced DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Released 2009-03-24 2012-08-28
Body design Mid-size SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Maximal aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7" 3"
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech HyperCrystal II LCD WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 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, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 secs 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 695 grams (1.53 lb) 240 grams (0.53 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 66
DXO Color Depth score 21.3 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 12.4
DXO Low light score 530 390
Other
Battery life 750 images 330 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-1 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $1,299 $448