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Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V front
Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Announced September 2014
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL6
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL8
Sony HX30V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Released February 2012
  • Earlier Model is Sony HX20V
  • Successor is Sony HX50V
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V Overview

Here, we are evaluating the Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the HX30V (18MP) is very close but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and HX30V (1/2.3") boast different sensor size.

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The E-PL7 was announced 2 years later than the HX30V and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-PL7 scores against the HX30V with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Sony HX30V

 E-PL7 HX30V 
ReleasedSeptember 2014February 2012More recent by 31 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k922kCrisper display (+115k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX30V over the Olympus E-PL7

 HX30V E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Sony HX30V

 E-PL7 HX30V 
Manual focus More exact focus
Display size3"3"Same display size

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL7 provides physical dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while 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).

Examine the Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the E-PL7 compared to the HX30V.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL7 and HX30V is 86 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements purely by viewing specs. The photograph underneath may provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL7 and HX30V.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL7 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Sony HX30V will render more detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively. The newer E-PL7 should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Portrait photography advice
Sony HX30V Portrait photography advice
71
manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
saves RAW formats
45
focusing manually
MP count good (18MP)
features face detect focus
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL7
Street photography with Sony HX30V
84
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
offers focus via touch
above average high ISO (25,600)
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (254g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography features
Sony HX30V Sports photography features
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
49
excellent zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18MP)
features tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Travel photography factors
Sony HX30V Travel photography factors
85
offers focus via touch
decent megapixels (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
69
lighter than competitors in class (254g)
MP count good (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
decently wide (25mm)
great reach (500mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography factors
Sony HX30V Landscape photography factors
79
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
50
focusing manually
decently wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL7
Vlogging with Sony HX30V
78
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
no external microphone socket
34
decently wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors in class (254g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have mic support
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX30V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Sony HX30V
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL7 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2014-09-01 2012-02-28
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII 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 16 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-500mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.2-5.8
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter rate 8.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 7.10 m
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 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)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357 grams (0.79 lbs) 254 grams (0.56 lbs)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 873 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 320 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-50 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail cost $499 $420