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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS30

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Olympus VG-120 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS30 Key Specs

Olympus VG-120
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Launched January 2011
Panasonic ZS30
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 198g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Launched January 2013
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Superseded the Panasonic ZS25
  • Later Model is Panasonic ZS35
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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS30 Overview

Following is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus VG-120 versus Panasonic ZS30, former is a Ultracompact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the VG-120 (14MP) and ZS30 (18MP) but they feature the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The VG-120 was announced 24 months before the ZS30 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a in depth comparison, below is a brief view of how the VG-120 scores versus the ZS30 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Panasonic ZS30

 VG-120 ZS30 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Olympus VG-120

 ZS30 VG-120 
LaunchedJanuary 2013January 2011More modern by 24 months
Display resolution920k230kCrisper display (+690k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus VG-120 and Panasonic ZS30

 VG-120 ZS30 
Manual focus No manual focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS30 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus VG-120 offers outside measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS30 has proportions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Look at the Olympus VG-120 versus Panasonic ZS30 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose during that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the VG-120 and the ZS30.

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS30 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VG-120 and ZS30 is 96 and 92 respectively.

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS30 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizes merely by seeing a spec sheet. The image below will offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the VG-120 and ZS30.

As you can see, both of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You can expect to see the Panasonic ZS30 to provide extra detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged VG-120 will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS30 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Portrait photography camera
33
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
has face detect focusing
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
33
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Street photography camera
48
no moving screen
no image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
66
image stabilization (Optical)
has focus by touch
lighter than others (198 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Sports photography camera
26
decent megapixels (14MP)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery life (160 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
46
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,200 seconds)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery pack (260 per charge)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Travel photography info
Panasonic ZS30 Travel photography info
62
decent megapixels (14MP)
flash built-in
really wide (26mm)
missing Time Lapse function
low battery life (160 CIPA)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
69
lighter than others (198g)
has focus by touch
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (24mm)
long zoom (480mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
terrible battery pack (260 CIPA)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic ZS30 Landscape photography factors
36
really wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
decent megapixels (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
no image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
low battery life (160 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse function
44
rather wide (24mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (18MP)
focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
terrible battery pack (260 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Vlogging information
Panasonic ZS30 Vlogging information
28
really wide (26mm)
has face detect focusing
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing mic socket
35
rather wide (24mm)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others (198g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
does not have external microphone socket
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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-120 and Panasonic ZS30
 Olympus VG-120Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus VG-120 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
Also called as - Lumix DMC-TZ40
Category Ultracompact Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2011-01-06 2013-01-07
Physical type Ultracompact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points - 23
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) 24-480mm (20.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8-6.5 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focus range 7cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 15s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1200s
Continuous shutter rate - 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.40 m 6.40 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 120 grams (0.26 pounds) 198 grams (0.44 pounds)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 160 pictures 260 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-70B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch cost $190 $250