Olympus E-5 vs Sony QX30

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-5 vs Sony QX30, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Lens-style by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and QX30 (20MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and QX30 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was unveiled 4 years prior to the QX30 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony QX30 being a Lens-style camera.

Before getting straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-5 scores versus the QX30 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Sony QX30 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-5 provides physical dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) and the Sony QX30 has specifications of 68mm x 65mm x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") and a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

See the Olympus E-5 vs Sony QX30 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose during that time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-5 versus the QX30.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and QX30 is 58 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it can be hard to see the difference between sensor sizes just by reading through a spec sheet. The image underneath will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-5 and QX30.

As you can see, both of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-5 having a bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Sony QX30 will give extra detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.