Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30

The following is a complete assessment of the Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and ZS30 (18MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and ZS30 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizes.

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The E-520 was released 5 years prior to the ZS30 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-520 grades vs the ZS30 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Panasonic ZS30 Gallery.

If you are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-520 enjoys external measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS30 has proportions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-520 versus the ZS30.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and ZS30 is 68 and 92 respectively.

Normally, it is very tough to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading through technical specs. The pic underneath will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and ZS30.

As you can tell, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-520 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh easier and the Panasonic ZS30 will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.