Olympus E-30 vs Zeiss ZX1

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus E-30 vs Zeiss ZX1, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Zeiss. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and ZX1 (37MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and ZX1 (Full frame) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The E-30 was introduced 10 years prior to the ZX1 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Zeiss ZX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-30 grades against the ZX1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-30 & Zeiss ZX1. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-30 Gallery & Zeiss ZX1 Gallery.

When you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-30 has 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 Zeiss ZX1 has measurements of 142mm x 93mm x 46mm (5.6" x 3.7" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-30 vs Zeiss ZX1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-30 against the ZX1.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and ZX1 is 60 and 67 respectively.

Typically, it can be difficult to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reading through technical specs. The picture below will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-30 and ZX1.

As you have seen, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-30 having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Zeiss ZX1 will resolve more detail using its extra 25 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-30 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.