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Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 VII

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII front
Portability
88
Imaging
54
Features
78
Overall
63

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 VII 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 Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
  • Launched March 2009
Sony RX100 VII
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8-4.5) lens
  • 302g - 102 x 58 x 43mm
  • Released July 2019
  • Replaced the Sony RX100 VI
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 VII Overview

Here, we will be comparing the Olympus E-30 and Sony RX100 VII, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and RX100 VII (20MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and RX100 VII (1") offer different sensor dimensions.

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The E-30 was introduced 11 years prior to the RX100 VII which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 VII being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the E-30 grades vs the RX100 VII with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Sony RX100 VII

 E-30 RX100 VII 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 VII over the Olympus E-30

 RX100 VII E-30 
ReleasedJuly 2019March 2009Newer by 125 months
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kSharper screen (+691k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Sony RX100 VII

 E-30 RX100 VII 
Manually focus More precise focus
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 VII Physical Comparison

If you are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-30 enjoys outside measurements of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") having a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) while the Sony RX100 VII has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7") having a weight of 302 grams (0.67 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-30 and Sony RX100 VII in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the E-30 against the RX100 VII.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 VII size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and RX100 VII is 60 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 VII top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 VII Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is tough to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions only by looking through specifications. The image here will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-30 and RX100 VII.

To sum up, both of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-30 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony RX100 VII will render greater detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged E-30 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 VII sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 VII Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 Portrait photography information
Sony RX100 VII Portrait photography information
59
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
66
manual focus
flash sync speed is above average (1/2,000 seconds)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
features face detection focus
saves RAW files
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Street photography camera
Sony RX100 VII as a Street photography camera
72
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
85
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
saves RAW files
provides touch to focus
lighter than others in class (302g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography features
Sony RX100 VII Sports photography features
51
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect auto focus
slow fps (5.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (750 shots)
70
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
fast shooting (20.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
features tracking autofocus
comes with phase detect auto focus
terrible battery (260 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-30
Travel photography with Sony RX100 VII
49
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
missing Time Lapse recording
bad battery power (750 CIPA)
MP count low (12MP)
77
lighter than others in class (302g)
has bluetooth
provides touch to focus
megapixel count good (20MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
quite wide (24mm)
terrible battery (260 shots)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography details
Sony RX100 VII Landscape photography details
52
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7")
MP count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (750 per charge)
missing Time Lapse recording
65
manual focus
quite wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
saves RAW files
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
terrible battery (260 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-30
Vlogging with Sony RX100 VII
18
can't record video
81
quite wide (24mm)
selfie friendly screen
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have external mic support
lighter than others in class (302g)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony RX100 VII Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Sony RX100 VII
 Olympus E-30Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-30 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
Class Advanced DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2009-03-24 2019-07-25
Physical type Mid-size SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III+ Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 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
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Lowest boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-200mm (8.3x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-4.5
Macro focus range - 8cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display size 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology HyperCrystal II LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x 0.59x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per second 20.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 5.90 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off -
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution None 3840x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 695g (1.53 lbs) 302g (0.67 lbs)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 102 x 58 x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 63
DXO Color Depth score 21.3 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 12.4
DXO Low light score 530 418
Other
Battery life 750 shots 260 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-1 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $1,299 $1,298