Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic ZS30

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").

Photography Glossary

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.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VH-515 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30. The complete galleries are available at Olympus VH-515 Gallery and Panasonic ZS30 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.