Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS30

Here is a extensive assessment of the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic ZS30, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and ZS30 (18MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and ZS30 (1/2.3") feature different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-300 was launched 9 years prior to the ZS30 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-300 matches up vs the ZS30 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-300 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-300 Gallery and Panasonic ZS30 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-300 features external dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") with a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS30 has specifications of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic ZS30 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is the front view size comparison of the E-300 versus the ZS30.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-300 and ZS30 is 67 and 92 respectively.

Sometimes, its tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizing simply by checking out technical specs. The photograph underneath will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-300 and ZS30.

As you have seen, both of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-300 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic ZS30 will show extra detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older E-300 will be behind in sensor tech.