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Olympus E-P1 vs Sony QX30

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30 front
Portability
91
Imaging
45
Features
37
Overall
41

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony QX30 Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Released July 2009
  • Renewed by Olympus E-P2
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
  • Revealed September 2014
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Olympus E-P1 vs Sony QX30 Overview

The following is a detailed analysis of the Olympus E-P1 and Sony QX30, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Lens-style by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and QX30 (20MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and QX30 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

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The E-P1 was announced 6 years earlier than the QX30 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony QX30 being a Lens-style camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-P1 matches up versus the QX30 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Sony QX30

 E-P1 QX30 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Display sizing3""Larger display (+3")
Display resolution230k0kCrisper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony QX30 over the Olympus E-P1

 QX30 E-P1 
RevealedSeptember 2014July 2009Newer by 62 months
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Sony QX30

 E-P1 QX30 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony QX30 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P1 offers exterior measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") with a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Sony QX30 has proportions of 68mm x 65mm x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") having a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P1 and Sony QX30 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-P1 against the QX30.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony QX30 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P1 and QX30 is 86 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony QX30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony QX30 Sensor Comparison

Often, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions merely by reading through specs. The pic underneath might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P1 and QX30.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-P1 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Sony QX30 will give more detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a little more aggressively. The more aged E-P1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony QX30 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony QX30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony QX30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography advice
Sony QX30 Portrait photography advice
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
delivers RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
38
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
provides face detection focus
manual focus not available
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography advice
Sony QX30 Street photography advice
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no moving screen
62
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides touch to focus
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Sports photography information
Sony QX30 Sports photography information
40
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
slow frames per second (3.0 fps)
resolution not great (12MP)
terrible battery life (300 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
47
excellent zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (200 per charge)
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony QX30 as a Travel photography camera
43
does not have Time Lapse mode
terrible battery life (300 CIPA)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly display
65
provides touch to focus
MP count decent (20MP)
reasonably wide (24mm)
very long reach (720mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (200 CIPA)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Landscape photography highlights
Sony QX30 Landscape photography highlights
60
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (300 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse mode
39
reasonably wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is small ( inches)
manual exposure not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
bad battery pack (200 per charge)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging features
Sony QX30 Vlogging features
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focus
does not posses selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external mic support
35
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone jack
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Olympus E-P1 vs Sony QX30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Sony QX30
 Olympus PEN E-P1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-P1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Lens-style
Released 2009-07-29 2014-09-03
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Lens-style
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic V Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-720mm (30.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-6.3
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch -
Resolution of screen 230k dot 0k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) None
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 355 gr (0.78 pounds) 193 gr (0.43 pounds)
Dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 68 x 65 x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photographs 200 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 NP-BN,
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2, 10 secs)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC card microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, Memory Stick Micro
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $182 $348