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Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30 Key Specs

Olympus E-520
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 552g - 136 x 92 x 68mm
  • Launched August 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-510
Panasonic ZS30
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 198g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Introduced January 2013
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Previous Model is Panasonic ZS25
  • Later Model is Panasonic ZS35
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Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Panasonic ZS30

 E-520 ZS30 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Olympus E-520

 ZS30 E-520 
IntroducedJanuary 2013August 2008Newer by 53 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kClearer screen (+690k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic ZS30

 E-520 ZS30 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30 size comparison

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

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic ZS30 Portrait photography factors
59
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
low resolution (10 megapixels)
33
good MP (18 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography highlights
Panasonic ZS30 Street photography highlights
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no articulating screen
66
image stabilization (Optical)
boasts focus by touch
lighter than competitors in class (198 grams)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-520
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS30
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
better than average battery power (650 shots)
has phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames per second)
low resolution (10 megapixels)
46
excellent zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,200 seconds)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery (260 per charge)
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-520
Travel photography with Panasonic ZS30
52
better than average battery power (650 CIPA)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
low resolution (10MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
69
lighter than competitors in class (198 grams)
boasts focus by touch
good MP (18MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
long reach (480mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
bad battery (260 shots)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography details
Panasonic ZS30 Landscape photography details
58
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (650 shots)
small screen (2.7")
low resolution (10 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse recording
44
fairly wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
bad battery (260 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-520
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS30
9
can't record video
35
fairly wide (24mm)
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors in class (198g)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
doesn't have external mic port
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Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Panasonic ZS30
 Olympus E-520Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-520 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
Alternate name - Lumix DMC-TZ40
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2008-08-20 2013-01-07
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 15s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1200s
Continuous shooting speed 4.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.40 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 552 grams (1.22 lb) 198 grams (0.44 lb)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 548 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 shots 260 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $400 $250