Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony HX30V

Here, we are looking at the Olympus E-M1 III versus Sony HX30V, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 III (20MP) and the HX30V (18MP) is fairly comparable but the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and HX30V (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 III was unveiled 8 years later than the HX30V and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-M1 III scores versus the HX30V when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 III Gallery & Sony HX30V Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 III enjoys outside measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) and the Sony HX30V has dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") having a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M1 III versus Sony HX30V in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M1 III vs the HX30V.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 III and HX30V is 67 and 90 respectively.

Quite often, it can be difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements just by going through a spec sheet. The graphic here might give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 III and HX30V.

Clearly, the two cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 III with its larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M1 III will produce greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The fresher E-M1 III will have an advantage in sensor technology.