Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic LZ30

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic LZ30, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the LZ30 (16MP) is very close but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and LZ30 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M1 was launched 10 months later than the LZ30 which means that they are both of a similar age. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LZ30 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-M1 scores vs the LZ30 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ30. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Panasonic LZ30 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 provides physical dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") having a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Panasonic LZ30 has proportions of 124mm x 84mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 3.6") having a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic LZ30 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the E-M1 against the LZ30.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and LZ30 is 71 and 66 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements just by viewing technical specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and LZ30.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras provide the same megapixels but not the same sensor measurements. The E-M1 uses the larger sensor which is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler. The newer E-M1 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.