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Olympus E-30 vs Sony W690

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36

Olympus E-30 vs Sony W690 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 Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
  • Announced March 2009
Sony W690
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 142g - 94 x 56 x 22mm
  • Released February 2012
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony W690 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-30 and Sony W690, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and W690 (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and W690 (1/2.3") possess different sensor size.

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The E-30 was announced 3 years earlier than the W690 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W690 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a thorough comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the E-30 grades vs the W690 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Sony W690

 E-30 W690 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony W690 over the Olympus E-30

 W690 E-30 
ReleasedFebruary 2012March 2009More recent by 35 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Sony W690

 E-30 W690 
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Olympus E-30 vs Sony W690 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-30 has exterior 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 W690 has proportions of 94mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-30 and Sony W690 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-30 compared to the W690.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony W690 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and W690 is 60 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony W690 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony W690 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is difficult to picture the difference in sensor measurements only by looking through technical specs. The graphic here might give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-30 and W690.

As you can tell, both cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-30 having a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony W690 will provide you with extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older E-30 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony W690 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony W690 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Sony W690 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-30
Portrait photography with Sony W690
59
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focusing
exports RAW files
low resolution sensor (12MP)
34
decent megapixels (16MP)
offers face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Street photography camera
Sony W690 as a Street photography camera
72
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
57
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography information
Sony W690 Sports photography information
51
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
low frames per second (5.0 frames/s)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
low battery power (750 shots)
40
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
offers tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Travel photography camera
Sony W690 as a Travel photography camera
49
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
does not have Time Lapse recording
low battery power (750 CIPA)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
68
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography highlights
Sony W690 Landscape photography highlights
52
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
low battery power (750 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse recording
43
really wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
manual exposure not available
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 Vlogging factors
Sony W690 Vlogging factors
18
can't shoot video
31
really wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect autofocus
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing mic port
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony W690 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Sony W690
 Olympus E-30Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-30 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2009-03-24 2012-02-28
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
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 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology HyperCrystal II LCD ClearPhoto TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m 3.30 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
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 695g (1.53 lb) 142g (0.31 lb)
Dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 94 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 photos 220 photos
Battery form 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 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
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $1,299 $297