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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS30

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS30 Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Revealed July 2009
  • Renewed by Olympus E-P2
Panasonic ZS30
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 198g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Announced January 2013
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Succeeded the Panasonic ZS25
  • Successor is Panasonic ZS35
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS30 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Panasonic ZS30

 E-P1 ZS30 
Manually focus More accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Olympus E-P1

 ZS30 E-P1 
AnnouncedJanuary 2013July 2009More recent by 41 months
Screen resolution920k230kCrisper screen (+690k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic ZS30

 E-P1 ZS30 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS30 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS30 size comparison

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

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS30 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS30 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P1
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS30
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
33
megapixel count good (18MP)
lack of manual focus
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography advice
Panasonic ZS30 Street photography advice
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
fixed screen
66
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes focus via touch
lighter than competition in class (198 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-P1
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS30
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
max frames per second very slow (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
terrible battery (300 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
46
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
has tracking focus
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,200 seconds)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (260 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Travel photography details
Panasonic ZS30 Travel photography details
43
no Time Lapse function
terrible battery (300 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
69
lighter than competition in class (198 grams)
includes focus via touch
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
long reach (480mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
terrible battery power (260 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Landscape photography camera
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (300 CIPA)
no Time Lapse function
44
quite wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (18MP)
lack of manual focus
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
terrible battery power (260 per charge)
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging details
Panasonic ZS30 Vlogging details
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focus
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic support
35
quite wide (24mm)
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (198g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
missing mic port
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic ZS30
 Olympus PEN E-P1Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-TZ40
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2009-07-29 2013-01-07
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic V -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 18MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 15 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1200 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 355g (0.78 pounds) 198g (0.44 pounds)
Dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 260 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $182 $250