Olympus E-500 vs Samsung HZ30W

Below is a in depth analysis of the Olympus E-500 and Samsung HZ30W, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Samsung. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and HZ30W (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and HZ30W (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was brought out 5 years before the HZ30W and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Samsung HZ30W being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a complete comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-500 scores versus the HZ30W when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 & Samsung HZ30W. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Samsung HZ30W Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 provides outside measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Samsung HZ30W has specifications of 107mm x 61mm x 28mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-500 and Samsung HZ30W in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the E-500 vs the HZ30W.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and HZ30W is 70 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to envision the gap between sensor measurements purely by going over specs. The visual below will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and HZ30W.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-500 due to its larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Samsung HZ30W will offer extra detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos far more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.