Olympus E-330 vs Olympus SZ-15

In this article, we will be matching up the Olympus E-330 and Olympus SZ-15, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Olympus. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the E-330 (7MP) and SZ-15 (16MP) and the E-330 (Four Thirds) and SZ-15 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-330 was launched 8 years earlier than the SZ-15 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-330 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-330 grades versus the SZ-15 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-330 & Olympus SZ-15. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-330 Gallery & Olympus SZ-15 Gallery.

If you are going to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-330 has outside measurements of 140mm x 87mm x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") along with a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-15 has measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") along with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

See the Olympus E-330 and Olympus SZ-15 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the E-330 and the SZ-15.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-330 and SZ-15 is 65 and 88 respectively.

Typically, it is very difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by going through specs. The picture below may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-330 and SZ-15.

As you can plainly see, both cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-330 because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus SZ-15 will produce greater detail utilizing its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots a little more aggressively. The more aged E-330 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.