Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX30V

Following is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-P2 and Sony HX30V, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the E-P2 (12MP) and HX30V (18MP) and the E-P2 (Four Thirds) and HX30V (1/2.3") offer different sensor size.

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The E-P2 was launched 22 months earlier than the HX30V which makes them a generation away from each other. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-P2 scores versus the HX30V in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P2 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-P2 Gallery & Sony HX30V Gallery.

For those who are going to carry around your camera often, you need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-P2 features exterior 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 Sony HX30V has specifications of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") having a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P2 and Sony HX30V in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-P2 versus the HX30V.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P2 and HX30V is 86 and 90 respectively.

Usually, it's difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes only by going over specs. The pic here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P2 and HX30V.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-P2 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Sony HX30V will offer greater detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged E-P2 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.