Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon SX30 IS and Olympus E-M5 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon SX30 IS has external dimensions of 123 x 92 x 108 mm (4.84 x 3.62 x 4.25″) and weighs 601 g (1.32 lb / 21.20 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-M5 has external dimensions of 122 x 89 x 43 mm (4.8 x 3.5 x 1.69″) and weighs 425 g (0.94 lb / 14.99 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon SX30 IS and Olympus E-M5. Olympus E-M5 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 1mm narrower, 3mm shorter and 65mm thinner than Canon SX30 IS. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Canon SX30 IS has a built-in lens but Olympus E-M5 doesn't. Once you put a lens on E-M5, its thickness will increase significantly.
![Canon SX30 IS vs Olympus E-M5 Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Olympus E-M5 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Olympus E-M5 is significantly lighter (176g ) than the Canon SX30 IS which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on E-M5, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
Thanks to the weather sealed body of E-M5, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to SX30 IS.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Olympus E-M5's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon SX30 IS's 2.7" screen.
Canon SX30 IS has a 14.0MP 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Digic 4 processor. On the other hand, Olympus E-M5 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VI processor.
Below you can see the SX30 IS and E-M5 sensor size comparison.
![Canon SX30 IS vs Olympus E-M5 Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Olympus E-M5 Cameras
As seen above, Olympus E-M5 has a 8.0x Larger sensor area than Canon SX30 IS. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
In this section, we rank and compare Canon SX30 IS and Olympus E-M5 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.
Canon SX30 IS for Portrait Photography
Olympus E-M5 for Portrait Photography
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Street Photography
Olympus E-M5 for Street Photography
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.70
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Sports Photography
Olympus E-M5 for Sports Photography
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
840 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Max shutter speed: 1/3200s
No RAW shooting capability
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.80
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 9.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
35 Focus Points
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Daily Photography
Olympus E-M5 for Daily Photography
35.0X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
601g
Body Thickness 108mm
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
425g
Body Thickness 43mm
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Landscape Photography
Olympus E-M5 for Landscape Photography
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details
You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon SX30 IS and Olympus E-M5, below you can find their scores in five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.
Here is a summary of how Canon SX30 IS and Olympus E-M5 scores compare:
Canon SX30 IS
Ranked
#69 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked
#626 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Olympus E-M5
Ranked
#71 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#207 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Olympus E-M5 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon SX30 IS in all criteria.
It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money
| General |
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS |
Olympus OM-D E-M5 |
| Brand |
Canon |
Olympus |
| Announced |
2010-09-14 |
2012-04-30 |
| Body Type |
SLR-like (bridge) |
SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CCD |
CMOS |
| Size |
1/2.3" |
Four Thirds |
| Dimensions |
6.17 x 4.55 mm |
17.3 x 13 mm |
| Area |
28.07mm2 |
224.90mm2 |
| Megapixels |
14 megapixels |
16 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4320 x 3240 |
4608 x 3456 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
1,600 ISO |
25,600 ISO |
| Min Native Light sensitivity |
80 ISO |
200 ISO |
| Min Boosted Light Sensitivity |
- |
100 ISO |
| RAW Support |
|
|
Autofocus |
|
|
| AF Touch |
|
|
| AF Continuous |
|
|
| AF Single |
|
|
| AF Tracking |
|
|
| AF Selective |
|
|
| AF Center |
|
|
| AF Multi Area |
|
|
| AF Live View |
|
|
| AF Face Detection |
|
|
| AF Contrast Detection |
|
|
| AF Phase Detection |
|
|
| Number of Focus Points |
9 |
35 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
fixed lens |
Micro Four Thirds |
| Lens Focal Range |
24-840 mm (35×) |
no lens |
| Max Aperture |
F2.7-5.8 |
no lens |
| Macro Focus Range |
0cm |
no lens |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Fully Articulated |
Tilting |
| Size |
2.7" |
3" |
| Resolution |
230k dots |
610k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Electronic |
| Viewfinder Resolution |
n/a |
1,440k dots |
| Viewfinder Coverage |
n/a |
100% |
| Viewfinder Magnification |
n/a |
0.58x |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/3200s |
1/4000s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
Optical |
Sensor-shift |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
6.80 m |
no built-in flash |
| Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
1/250s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
1.0 fps |
9.0 fps |
| Multi-Segment |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Spot |
|
|
| Partial |
|
|
| AF-Area |
|
|
| Center Weighted |
|
|
| AE Bracketing |
|
|
| WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
| Max Video Resolution |
1280 x 720 |
1920 x 1080 |
| Video Formats |
Motion JPEG |
H.264, Motion JPEG |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Eye-Fi Connected |
Eye-Fi Connected |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
601g |
425g |
| Dimensions |
123 x 92 x 108mm |
122 x 89 x 43mm |
| Battery Life |
n/a |
360 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
|
|
| GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
not tested |
71 |
| DxO Color Depth |
not tested |
22.8 |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
not tested |
12.3 |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
not tested |
826 |
|
Report a correction |
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