Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS30

Here is a complete analysis of the Olympus E-420 versus Panasonic ZS30, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and ZS30 (18MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and ZS30 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizing.

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The E-420 was introduced 5 years earlier than the ZS30 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a full comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-420 scores versus the ZS30 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-420 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Panasonic ZS30 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry your camera, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 has outside measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and 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).

See the Olympus E-420 versus Panasonic ZS30 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-420 and the ZS30.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and ZS30 is 77 and 92 respectively.

More often than not, it is very tough to picture the difference in sensor sizing just by checking out technical specs. The visual below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and ZS30.

As you can tell, both of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-420 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS30 will provide more detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos much more aggressively. The older E-420 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.