Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX30V

Here is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-510 versus Sony HX30V, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and HX30V (18MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and HX30V (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-510 was unveiled 5 years before the HX30V and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-510 grades versus the HX30V with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-510 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Sony HX30V Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-510 provides outside measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) while the Sony HX30V has sizing of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-510 versus Sony HX30V in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the E-510 compared to the HX30V.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and HX30V is 69 and 90 respectively.

Typically, it is difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizing just by viewing technical specs. The graphic underneath may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-510 and HX30V.

As you can tell, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-510 having a larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Sony HX30V will render greater detail having an extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older E-510 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.