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Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX30V

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P2 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V front
Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45

Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX30V Key Specs

Olympus E-P2
(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
  • Launched April 2010
  • Replaced the Olympus E-P1
  • Successor is Olympus E-P3
Sony HX30V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Announced February 2012
  • Superseded the Sony HX20V
  • Updated by Sony HX50V
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Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX30V Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P2 over the Sony HX30V

 E-P2 HX30V 

Reasons to pick Sony HX30V over the Olympus E-P2

 HX30V E-P2 
AnnouncedFebruary 2012April 2010More modern by 22 months
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P2 and Sony HX30V

 E-P2 HX30V 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither includes Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX30V Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX30V size comparison

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

Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX30V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX30V Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX30V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX30V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX30V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Portrait photography details
Sony HX30V Portrait photography details
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
45
focusing manually
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
supports face detect focus
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Street photography information
Sony HX30V Street photography information
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no moving screen
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (254 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-P2
Sports photography with Sony HX30V
40
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12MP)
not so great battery (300 per charge)
has no phase detect AF
49
incredible zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-P2
Travel photography with Sony HX30V
43
no Timelapse mode
not so great battery (300 per charge)
resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
69
lighter than competition in class (254g)
decent megapixels (18MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
long reach (500mm)
no Time Lapse function
does not offer selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Landscape photography information
Sony HX30V Landscape photography information
60
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (300 per charge)
no Timelapse mode
50
focusing manually
rather wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (18MP)
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-P2
Vlogging with Sony HX30V
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focusing
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
no microphone support
34
rather wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (254 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
no mic support
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Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX30V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P2 and Sony HX30V
 Olympus PEN E-P2Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-P2 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2010-04-22 2012-02-28
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic V BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-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 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-500mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.2-5.8
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 7.10 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 355 grams (0.78 lbs) 254 grams (0.56 lbs)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 505 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 320 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $799 $420