Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic G100

Its time to look closer at the Olympus SZ-30MR and Panasonic G100, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the SZ-30MR (16MP) and the G100 (20MP) is pretty comparable but the SZ-30MR (1/2.3") and G100 (Four Thirds) provide different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-30MR was introduced 10 years before the G100 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-30MR being a Compact camera and the Panasonic G100 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick overview of how the SZ-30MR scores against the G100 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-30MR and Panasonic Lumix DC-G100. The whole galleries are available at Olympus SZ-30MR Gallery and Panasonic G100 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera, you're going to have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-30MR has outer measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Panasonic G100 has specifications of 116mm x 83mm x 54mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 2.1") and a weight of 352 grams (0.78 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SZ-30MR and Panasonic G100 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at that moment. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the SZ-30MR against the G100.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-30MR and G100 is 89 and 81 respectively.

Oftentimes, its difficult to visualize the difference in sensor measurements simply by seeing technical specs. The visual here will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-30MR and G100.

As you can tell, both the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SZ-30MR using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Panasonic G100 will show extra detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older SZ-30MR will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.