Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus SZ-30MR

Below is a detailed analysis of the Olympus E-P1 versus Olympus SZ-30MR, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both created by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and SZ-30MR (16MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and SZ-30MR (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

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The E-P1 was introduced 19 months prior to the SZ-30MR making them a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-30MR being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-P1 scores against the SZ-30MR for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P1 & Olympus SZ-30MR. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-P1 Gallery & Olympus SZ-30MR Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P1 has external dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-30MR has dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P1 versus Olympus SZ-30MR in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-P1 and the SZ-30MR.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and SZ-30MR is 86 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, it's difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading through specs. The photograph below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P1 and SZ-30MR.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 having a larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh simpler and the Olympus SZ-30MR will resolve greater detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The older E-P1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.