Clicky

Olympus E-M1X vs Sony QX30

Portability
54
Imaging
61
Features
93
Overall
73
Olympus OM-D E-M1X front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30 front
Portability
91
Imaging
45
Features
37
Overall
41

Olympus E-M1X vs Sony QX30 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1X
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 997g - 144 x 147 x 75mm
  • Introduced January 2019
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M1 II
Sony QX30
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • " Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.3) lens
  • 193g - 68 x 65 x 58mm
  • Launched September 2014
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-M1X vs Sony QX30 Overview

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-M1X versus Sony QX30, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Lens-style by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M1X (20MP) and the QX30 (20MP) is very similar but the E-M1X (Four Thirds) and QX30 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-M1X was released 4 years after the QX30 which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1X being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony QX30 being a Lens-style camera.

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-M1X grades vs the QX30 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1X over the Sony QX30

 E-M1X QX30 
LaunchedJanuary 2019September 2014Newer by 54 months
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display sizing3""Larger display (+3")
Display resolution1037k0kClearer display (+1037k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony QX30 over the Olympus E-M1X

 QX30 E-M1X 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1X and Sony QX30

 E-M1X QX30 
Touch display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M1X vs Sony QX30 Physical Comparison

If you are going to travel with your camera often, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1X has exterior measurements of 144mm x 147mm x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") and a weight of 997 grams (2.20 lbs) while the Sony QX30 has sizing of 68mm x 65mm x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") along with a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M1X versus Sony QX30 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at that moment. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-M1X vs the QX30.

Olympus E-M1X vs Sony QX30 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1X and QX30 is 54 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-M1X vs Sony QX30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1X vs Sony QX30 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is tough to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by reviewing technical specs. The image underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1X and QX30.

As you can tell, both of the cameras enjoy the same exact MP but different sensor dimensions. The E-M1X offers the larger sensor which should make getting shallower depth of field easier. The newer E-M1X should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M1X vs Sony QX30 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1X vs Sony QX30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1X vs Sony QX30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1X
Portrait photography with Sony QX30
76
focusing manually
good megapixels (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
saves RAW files
38
decent megapixels (20MP)
has face detection focusing
manual focus not available
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1X Street photography details
Sony QX30 Street photography details
67
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
features touch to focus
environment proof
very good ISO range (25,600)
heavier than competition in class (997g)
62
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with focus by touch
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1X as a Sports photography camera
Sony QX30 as a Sports photography camera
80
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
max frames per second high (60.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proof
great battery (870 per charge)
supports phase detect AF
47
amazing zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
bad battery power (200 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1X Travel photography advice
Sony QX30 Travel photography advice
68
great battery (870 shots)
environment proof
supports bluetooth
features touch to focus
good megapixels (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
heavier than competition in class (997g)
65
comes with focus by touch
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
rather wide (24mm)
very long zoom (720mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
bad battery power (200 CIPA)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1X Landscape photography details
Sony QX30 Landscape photography details
79
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment proof
great battery (870 per charge)
has double storage slots
39
rather wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (")
no manual exposure
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
bad battery power (200 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1X Vlogging info
Sony QX30 Vlogging info
68
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
great video quality (4096 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external mic port
heavier than competition in class (997g)
35
rather wide (24mm)
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone support
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus E-M1X vs Sony QX30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1X and Sony QX30
 Olympus OM-D E-M1XSony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1X Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30
Type Pro Mirrorless Lens-style
Introduced 2019-01-24 2014-09-03
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Lens-style
Sensor Information
Chip Dual TruePic VIII Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 5184 x 3888 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Min boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-6.3
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3" -
Resolution of screen 1,037k dots 0k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting rate 60.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), manual None
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB Yes (USB-PD allows charging by laptop or external power bank) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Built-in None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 997g (2.20 lbs) 193g (0.43 lbs)
Dimensions 144 x 147 x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") 68 x 65 x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 870 images 200 images
Battery style Built-in Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BN,
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2, 10 secs)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type - microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, Memory Stick Micro
Card slots 2 1
Launch cost $2,999 $348