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Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX66

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66 front
Portability
97
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX66 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
  • Released March 2009
Sony TX66
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F3.5-4.8) lens
  • 109g - 93 x 54 x 13mm
  • Revealed February 2012
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX66 Overview

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-30 versus Sony TX66, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and TX66 (18MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and TX66 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-30 was manufactured 3 years earlier than the TX66 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony TX66 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving into a thorough comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-30 scores vs the TX66 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Sony TX66

 E-30 TX66 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony TX66 over the Olympus E-30

 TX66 E-30 
RevealedFebruary 2012March 2009Fresher by 35 months
Screen dimensions3.3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.6")
Screen resolution1230k230kClearer screen (+1000k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Sony TX66

 E-30 TX66 
Manually focus More exact focusing

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX66 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-30 offers exterior dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") along with a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Sony TX66 has dimensions of 93mm x 54mm x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5") having a weight of 109 grams (0.24 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-30 versus Sony TX66 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-30 and the TX66.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX66 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and TX66 is 60 and 97 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX66 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX66 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to envision the gap between sensor sizing simply by reading specifications. The photograph here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-30 and TX66.

To sum up, each of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-30 due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony TX66 will deliver extra detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-30 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX66 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX66 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX66 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-30
Portrait photography with Sony TX66
59
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
41
you can focus manually
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
has face detect autofocus
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Street photography camera
Sony TX66 as a Street photography camera
72
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
64
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports focus by touch
fixed screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography advice
Sony TX66 Sports photography advice
51
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12MP)
not so great battery power (750 per charge)
49
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
has tracking focus
better than average battery power (250 shots)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 Travel photography info
Sony TX66 Travel photography info
49
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery power (750 CIPA)
resolution not great (12MP)
72
better than average battery power (250 shots)
supports focus by touch
good megapixels (18MP)
has built in flash
decently wide (26mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography features
Sony TX66 Landscape photography features
52
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
small screen (2.7")
resolution not great (12MP)
not so great battery power (750 per charge)
lack of Timelapse function
51
you can focus manually
decently wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3.3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18MP)
better than average battery power (250 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 Vlogging highlights
Sony TX66 Vlogging highlights
18
no video shooting
36
decently wide (26mm)
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
lack of mic socket
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony TX66 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Sony TX66
 Olympus E-30Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-30 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66
Type Advanced DSLR Ultracompact
Released 2009-03-24 2012-02-28
Physical type Mid-size SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-4.8
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Available lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7" 3.3"
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 1,230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology HyperCrystal II LCD XtraFine TruBlack OLED display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 3.10 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, Rear Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 695g (1.53 pounds) 109g (0.24 pounds)
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 All around 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 photos 250 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-1 NP-BN
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo, microSD/microSDHC
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $1,299 $350