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Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX55

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55 front
Portability
97
Imaging
39
Features
46
Overall
41

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX55 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
  • Introduced March 2009
Sony TX55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F3.5-4.8) lens
  • 109g - 93 x 54 x 13mm
  • Revealed July 2011
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX55 Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus E-30 and Sony TX55, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and TX55 (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and TX55 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-30 was brought out 3 years earlier than the TX55 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony TX55 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going right into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-30 matches up vs the TX55 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Sony TX55

 E-30 TX55 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony TX55 over the Olympus E-30

 TX55 E-30 
RevealedJuly 2011March 2009Newer by 28 months
Screen dimensions3.3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.6")
Screen resolution1230k230kCrisper screen (+1000k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Sony TX55

 E-30 TX55 
Manual focus More precise focusing

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX55 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-30 enjoys physical measurements of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") having a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Sony TX55 has dimensions of 93mm x 54mm x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5") and a weight of 109 grams (0.24 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-30 and Sony TX55 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-30 against the TX55.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX55 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and TX55 is 60 and 97 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX55 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX55 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very difficult to see the difference in sensor dimensions only by viewing a spec sheet. The image underneath will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-30 and TX55.

Clearly, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-30 due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Sony TX55 will result in greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-30 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX55 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX55 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony TX55 as a Portrait photography camera
59
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
low resolution (12 megapixels)
36
manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-30
Street photography with Sony TX55
72
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
58
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography features
Sony TX55 Sports photography features
51
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (5.0 fps)
low resolution (12MP)
bad battery (750 CIPA)
44
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
good battery pack (250 per charge)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Travel photography camera
Sony TX55 as a Travel photography camera
49
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
bad battery (750 per charge)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
69
good battery pack (250 per charge)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (26mm)
missing Timelapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography factors
Sony TX55 Landscape photography factors
52
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inches)
low resolution (12MP)
bad battery (750 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
50
manual focus
relatively wide (26mm)
good sized screen (3.3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
good battery pack (250 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 Vlogging advice
Sony TX55 Vlogging advice
18
lack of video recording
34
relatively wide (26mm)
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Optical)
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing microphone support
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Sony TX55
 Olympus E-30Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-30 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55
Category Advanced DSLR Ultracompact
Introduced 2009-03-24 2011-07-24
Physical type Mid-size SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip 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 surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-4.8
Macro focus range - 3cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3.3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 1,230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech HyperCrystal II LCD XtraFine OLED display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m 3.70 m
Flash options Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250s -
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)
Highest 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 None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 695 grams (1.53 lbs) 109 grams (0.24 lbs)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 93 x 54 x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.3 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 530 not tested
Other
Battery life 750 shots 250 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-1 NP-BN
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card microSD/SDHC, Memory Stick Micro
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $1,299 $350