Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX10 III

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus SZ-30MR versus Sony RX10 III, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SZ-30MR (16MP) and the RX10 III (20MP) is pretty similar but the SZ-30MR (1/2.3") and RX10 III (1") boast different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-30MR was launched 6 years prior to the RX10 III which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-30MR being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 III being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple summation of how the SZ-30MR matches up versus the RX10 III in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-30MR and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-30MR Gallery and Sony RX10 III Gallery.

When you are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-30MR has got external dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 III has sizing of 133mm x 94mm x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0") along with a weight of 1051 grams (2.32 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SZ-30MR versus Sony RX10 III in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the SZ-30MR against the RX10 III.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-30MR and RX10 III is 89 and 53 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is difficult to picture the gap between sensor dimensions simply by going over technical specs. The image here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-30MR and RX10 III.

As you have seen, both of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-30MR featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony RX10 III will offer extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged SZ-30MR is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.