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Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX100 IV

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
39
Overall
39
Olympus SZ-30MR front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
79
Overall
62

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX100 IV Key Specs

Olympus SZ-30MR
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Released March 2011
Sony RX100 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 298g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Announced June 2015
  • Succeeded the Sony RX100 III
  • Successor is Sony RX100 V
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Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX100 IV Overview

In this article, we will be looking at the Olympus SZ-30MR and Sony RX100 IV, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SZ-30MR (16MP) and the RX100 IV (20MP) is pretty close but the SZ-30MR (1/2.3") and RX100 IV (1") come with different sensor measurements.

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The SZ-30MR was launched 5 years prior to the RX100 IV and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SZ-30MR being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 IV being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go through a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise summary of how the SZ-30MR grades vs the RX100 IV in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-30MR over the Sony RX100 IV

 SZ-30MR RX100 IV 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 IV over the Olympus SZ-30MR

 RX100 IV SZ-30MR 
AnnouncedJune 2015March 2011Fresher by 52 months
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1229k460kClearer screen (+769k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus SZ-30MR and Sony RX100 IV

 SZ-30MR RX100 IV 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX100 IV Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry your camera, you will have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-30MR enjoys external measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Sony RX100 IV has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SZ-30MR and Sony RX100 IV in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the SZ-30MR versus the RX100 IV.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX100 IV size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-30MR and RX100 IV is 89 and 89 respectively.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX100 IV top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX100 IV Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to picture the difference in sensor sizing merely by looking through technical specs. The graphic underneath should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-30MR and RX100 IV.

As you can tell, both the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The SZ-30MR due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony RX100 IV will render extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will let you crop shots far more aggressively. The older SZ-30MR will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX100 IV sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-30MR
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 IV
34
good resolution (16 megapixels)
includes face detect focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
65
manual focus
above average flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
has face detection focus
exports RAW formats
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Street photography highlights
Sony RX100 IV Street photography highlights
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (226g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
85
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW formats
lighter than average (298 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Sports photography information
Sony RX100 IV Sports photography information
41
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
not so great battery pack (220 CIPA)
lacks phase detect auto focus
68
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
high fps (16.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
has tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Travel photography information
Sony RX100 IV Travel photography information
65
lighter than competition (226g)
good resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
great reach (600mm)
no Time Lapse function
not so great battery pack (220 shots)
does not posses selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.0)
86
lighter than average (298g)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
rather wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Landscape photography highlights
Sony RX100 IV Landscape photography highlights
41
relatively wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual exposure
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
not so great battery pack (220 shots)
no Time Lapse function
74
manual focus
rather wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Vlogging highlights
Sony RX100 IV Vlogging highlights
34
relatively wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (226g)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
does not posses selfie friendly display
no mic socket
81
rather wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
lighter than average (298 grams)
does not have external mic port
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Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX100 IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-30MR and Sony RX100 IV
 Olympus SZ-30MRSony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SZ-30MR Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Compact
Released 2011-03-02 2015-06-10
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III+ Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 80 125
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 25
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Max aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing distance 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT Hypercrystal III Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 16.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226g (0.50 pounds) 298g (0.66 pounds)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 70
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 562
Other
Battery life 220 images 280 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $279 $898