Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS30

Below is a extensive assessment of the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic ZS30, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and ZS30 (18MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and ZS30 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-P1 was released 4 years before the ZS30 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-P1 matches up against the ZS30 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-P1 Gallery & Panasonic ZS30 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P1 offers physical dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") along with a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS30 has proportions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic ZS30 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the E-P1 compared to the ZS30.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and ZS30 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Oftentimes, its hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements only by seeing a spec sheet. The graphic here will provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P1 and ZS30.

As you can see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 because of its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS30 will show more detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a little more aggressively. The older E-P1 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.