Olympus E-500 vs Olympus SZ-30MR

Here, we are contrasting the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus SZ-30MR, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both offered by Olympus. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and SZ-30MR (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and SZ-30MR (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

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The E-500 was unveiled 6 years earlier than the SZ-30MR and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-30MR being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-500 scores against the SZ-30MR in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 and Olympus SZ-30MR. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Olympus SZ-30MR Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 comes with outside measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-30MR has specifications of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus SZ-30MR in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-500 against the SZ-30MR.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and SZ-30MR is 70 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to picture the gap in sensor measurements simply by seeing specifications. The visual underneath should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and SZ-30MR.

To sum up, both cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-500 with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus SZ-30MR will produce more detail having an extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos way more aggressively. The older E-500 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.