Olympus PEN-F vs Sony QX30
84 Imaging
58 Features
79 Overall
66
91 Imaging
44 Features
37 Overall
41
Olympus PEN-F vs Sony QX30 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
- Revealed January 2016
(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
- Introduced September 2014
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Following is a in-depth overview of the Olympus PEN-F vs Sony QX30, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Lens-style by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the PEN-F (20MP) and the QX30 (20MP) is fairly similar but the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and QX30 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizes.
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthThe PEN-F was introduced 18 months after the QX30 making them a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony QX30 being a Lens-style camera.
Before diving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple overview of how the PEN-F grades versus the QX30 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
Photography Glossary Olympus PEN-F vs Sony QX30 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN-F & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus PEN-F Gallery & Sony QX30 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Sony QX30
| PEN-F | QX30 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | January 2016 | September 2014 | More modern by 18 months | |
| Manually focus | Dial exact focus | |||
| Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating display | |
| Display dimensions | 3" | " | Larger display (+3") | |
| Display resolution | 1037k | 0k | Sharper display (+1037k dot) | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony QX30 over the Olympus PEN-F
| QX30 | PEN-F |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Sony QX30
| PEN-F | QX30 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touch display | Easily navigate |
Olympus PEN-F vs Sony QX30 Physical Comparison
In case you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus PEN-F has outside measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") along with a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Sony QX30 has dimensions of 68mm x 65mm x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") along with a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus PEN-F vs Sony QX30 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select at the time. Here is a front view size comparison of the PEN-F versus the QX30.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the PEN-F and QX30 is 84 and 91 respectively.
Olympus PEN-F vs Sony QX30 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it is tough to see the gap between sensor sizes simply by going over specifications. The image below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the PEN-F and QX30.
To sum up, each of the cameras have the same resolution but not the same sensor sizes. The PEN-F has got the larger sensor which is going to make getting shallower DOF easier. The newer PEN-F is going to have an edge in sensor technology.
Olympus PEN-F vs Sony QX30 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus PEN-F vs Sony QX30 Specifications
| Olympus PEN-F | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus PEN-F | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30 |
| Type | Advanced Mirrorless | Lens-style |
| Revealed | 2016-01-27 | 2014-09-03 |
| Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Lens-style |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | TruePic VII | Bionz X |
| 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 | 20MP | 20MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Max resolution | 5184 x 3888 | 5184 x 3888 |
| Max native ISO | 25600 | 3200 |
| Lowest native ISO | 200 | 80 |
| RAW support | ||
| Lowest enhanced ISO | 80 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detect autofocus | ||
| Contract detect autofocus | ||
| Phase detect autofocus | ||
| Total focus points | 81 | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | - | 24-720mm (30.0x) |
| Maximal aperture | - | f/3.5-6.3 |
| Number of lenses | 107 | - |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
| Display size | 3 inch | - |
| Resolution of display | 1,037 thousand dots | 0 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch function | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dots | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.62x | - |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 60 secs | 4 secs |
| Max shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/1600 secs |
| Max quiet shutter speed | 1/16000 secs | - |
| Continuous shutter rate | 10.0fps | 10.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Set white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | no built-in flash |
| Flash settings | Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) | None |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p) |
| Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4 |
| Mic port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | Built-In |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 427g (0.94 pounds) | 193g (0.43 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") | 68 x 65 x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall rating | 74 | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 23.1 | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.4 | not tested |
| DXO Low light rating | 894 | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 330 images | 200 images |
| Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | BLN-1 | NP-BN, |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) | Yes (2, 10 secs) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, Memory Stick Micro |
| Card slots | 1 | 1 |
| Pricing at release | $1,000 | $348 |