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Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony HX30V

Portability
86
Imaging
55
Features
76
Overall
63
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V front
Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony HX30V Key Specs

Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Revealed September 2016
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL7
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL9
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
  • Revealed February 2012
  • Replaced the Sony HX20V
  • Successor is Sony HX50V
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony HX30V Overview

Below is a detailed comparison of the Olympus E-PL8 versus Sony HX30V, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the HX30V (18MP) is pretty close but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and HX30V (1/2.3") feature different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL8 was released 4 years later than the HX30V and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a complete comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-PL8 matches up versus the HX30V in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Sony HX30V

 E-PL8 HX30V 
RevealedSeptember 2016February 2012More recent by 56 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k922kCrisper screen (+115k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX30V over the Olympus E-PL8

 HX30V E-PL8 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Sony HX30V

 E-PL8 HX30V 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony HX30V Physical Comparison

For those who are going to lug around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL8 enjoys external measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Sony HX30V has proportions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL8 versus Sony HX30V in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use during that time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PL8 against the HX30V.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony HX30V size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL8 and HX30V is 86 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony HX30V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony HX30V Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is hard to visualize the gap in sensor measurements simply by looking through technical specs. The graphic underneath may give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL8 and HX30V.

As you have seen, both of these cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL8 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Sony HX30V will result in more detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The newer E-PL8 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony HX30V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony HX30V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony HX30V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony HX30V as a Portrait photography camera
73
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
45
focusing manually
decent megapixels (18MP)
has face detect autofocus
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Street photography advice
Sony HX30V Street photography advice
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
offers touch to focus
good high ISO (25,600)
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (254g)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL8
Sports photography with Sony HX30V
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
no phase detect autofocus
49
excellent zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
has tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Travel photography features
Sony HX30V Travel photography features
72
offers touch to focus
resolution is good (16MP)
does not have selfie friendly display
69
lighter than competition (254g)
decent megapixels (18MP)
flash built-in
really wide (25mm)
long zoom (500mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony HX30V as a Landscape photography camera
80
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
50
focusing manually
really wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX30V as a Vlogging camera
36
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have selfie friendly display
does not have microphone jack
34
really wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (254 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
does not have mic support
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony HX30V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Sony HX30V
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL8 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2016-09-19 2012-02-28
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip 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 area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 18MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-500mm (20.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.2-5.8
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 7.10 m
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 357 gr (0.79 lbs) 254 gr (0.56 lbs)
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 All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 shots 320 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $500 $420