Clicky

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS30

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS30 Key Specs

Olympus E-420
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 426g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Released June 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-410
Panasonic ZS30
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 198g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Introduced January 2013
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Older Model is Panasonic ZS25
  • Updated by Panasonic ZS35
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS30 Overview

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.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

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.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Panasonic ZS30

 E-420 ZS30 
Focus manually More exact focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Olympus E-420

 ZS30 E-420 
IntroducedJanuary 2013June 2008Fresher by 55 months
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kSharper display (+690k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZS30

 E-420 ZS30 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS30 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS30 size comparison

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

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS30 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS30 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic ZS30 Portrait photography highlights
56
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
33
resolution is good (18MP)
no manual focus
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography info
Panasonic ZS30 Street photography info
64
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lighter than competition (426g)
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
66
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides focus via touch
lighter than average in class (198g)
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography info
Panasonic ZS30 Sports photography info
38
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
low battery (500 CIPA)
46
long zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18MP)
has tracking focus
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,200 seconds)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery (260 per charge)
no phase detect auto focus
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than competition (426g)
flash built-in
no Time Lapse recording
low battery (500 shots)
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
69
lighter than average in class (198 grams)
provides focus via touch
resolution is good (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (24mm)
very long zoom (480mm)
no Time Lapse recording
not so great battery (260 per charge)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Landscape photography camera
47
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
low battery (500 CIPA)
no Time Lapse recording
44
quite wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18MP)
no manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
not so great battery (260 shots)
no Time Lapse recording
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging information
Panasonic ZS30 Vlogging information
9
no video recording
35
quite wide (24mm)
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average in class (198 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
no mic jack
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZS30
 Olympus E-420Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-420 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
Also called as - Lumix DMC-TZ40
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2008-06-23 2013-01-07
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 15s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1200s
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.40 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 grams (0.94 pounds) 198 grams (0.44 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 527 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 images 260 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $999 $250