Olympus SZ-15 vs Samsung NX30

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus SZ-15 versus Samsung NX30, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Samsung. The sensor resolution of the SZ-15 (16MP) and the NX30 (20MP) is pretty well matched but the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and NX30 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The SZ-15 was unveiled 6 months earlier than the NX30 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Samsung NX30 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the SZ-15 scores versus the NX30 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-15 & Samsung NX30. The full galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-15 Gallery & Samsung NX30 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-15 offers external measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") along with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Samsung NX30 has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 58mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.3") having a weight of 375 grams (0.83 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-15 versus Samsung NX30 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is a front view size comparison of the SZ-15 vs the NX30.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-15 and NX30 is 88 and 75 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to see the difference between sensor sizing purely by looking at specs. The photograph below might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-15 and NX30.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SZ-15 with its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Samsung NX30 will give you extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots a good deal more aggressively.