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Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30 Key Specs

Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Announced August 2012
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
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Older Model is Panasonic ZS25
  • Successor is Panasonic ZS35
Photography Glossary

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30 Overview

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and ZS30 (18MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The VH-515 was launched 4 months prior to the ZS30 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the VH-515 grades versus the ZS30 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Panasonic ZS30

 VH-515 ZS30 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Olympus VH-515

 ZS30 VH-515 
Display resolution920k460kSharper display (+460k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Panasonic ZS30

 VH-515 ZS30 
LaunchedAugust 2012January 2013Same generation
Manual focus No manual focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch display Easily navigate

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus VH-515 offers outside measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") with a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst 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).

Examine the Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at the time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the VH-515 vs the ZS30.

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VH-515 and ZS30 is 95 and 92 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizing simply by looking through technical specs. The photograph below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the VH-515 and ZS30.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You should anticipate the Panasonic ZS30 to render more detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics a bit more aggressively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30 sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic ZS30 Portrait photography highlights
27
has face detect focus
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
33
decent megapixels (18MP)
lack of manual focus
can't use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Street photography highlights
Panasonic ZS30 Street photography highlights
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides touch to focus
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
66
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports focus via touch
lighter than others in class (198g)
screen does not articulate
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Sports photography camera
32
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
46
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
max shutter speed is low (1/1,200s)
small sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery power (260 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus VH-515
Travel photography with Panasonic ZS30
62
provides touch to focus
has built in flash
pretty wide (26mm)
missing Timelapse function
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
69
lighter than others in class (198g)
supports focus via touch
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (24mm)
long zoom (480mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
bad battery power (260 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic ZS30 Landscape photography advice
37
pretty wide (26mm)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no manual focus
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
manual mode not possible
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
missing Timelapse function
44
really wide (24mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (18MP)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
bad battery power (260 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus VH-515
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS30
35
pretty wide (26mm)
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
missing microphone support
35
really wide (24mm)
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (198 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of external microphone support
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Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Panasonic ZS30
 Olympus VH-515Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus VH-515 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
Also called as - Lumix DMC-TZ40
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2012-08-21 2013-01-07
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III+ -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 18MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
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 distance 5cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 15 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1200 secs
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.70 m 6.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 152g (0.34 pounds) 198g (0.44 pounds)
Physical dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 - 260 pictures
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Launch price $648 $250