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-PL1s 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-PL1s has external dimensions of 115 x 72 x 42 mm (4.53 x 2.83 x 1.65″) and weighs 334 g (0.74 lb / 11.78 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon SX30 IS and Olympus E-PL1s. Olympus E-PL1s is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 8mm narrower, 20mm shorter and 66mm 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-PL1s doesn't. Once you put a lens on E-PL1s, its thickness will increase significantly.
![Canon SX30 IS vs Olympus E-PL1s Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Olympus E-PL1s 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-PL1s is significantly lighter (267g ) 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-PL1s, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
Unfortunately neither Canon PowerShot SX30 IS nor Olympus PEN E-PL1s provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections: Top Bridge Cameras with Weather Sealing Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing
LCD Screen Size and Features
Canon SX30 IS and Olympus E-PL1s's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 2.7".
On the other hand, Canon SX30 IS sports a
Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Olympus E-PL1s's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to SX30 IS.
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-PL1s has a 12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Truepic V processor.
Below you can see the SX30 IS and E-PL1s sensor size comparison.
![Canon SX30 IS vs Olympus E-PL1s Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Olympus E-PL1s Cameras
As seen above, Olympus E-PL1s 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-PL1s 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-PL1s 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
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Street Photography
Olympus E-PL1s 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
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Sports Photography
Olympus E-PL1s 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
11 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 290 shots
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Daily Photography
Olympus E-PL1s 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
Medium size Body
334g
Body Thickness 42mm
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Landscape Photography
Olympus E-PL1s 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
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
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-PL1s, 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-PL1s 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-PL1s
Ranked
#96 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#415 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Olympus E-PL1s 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 PEN E-PL1s |
| Brand |
Canon |
Olympus |
| Announced |
2010-09-14 |
2010-11-16 |
| Body Type |
SLR-like (bridge) |
Rangefinder-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 |
12 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4320 x 3240 |
4032 x 3024 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
1,600 ISO |
6,400 ISO |
| Min Native Light sensitivity |
80 ISO |
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 |
11 |
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 |
Fixed type |
| Size |
2.7" |
2.7" |
| Resolution |
230k dots |
230k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Electronic (optional) |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/3200s |
1/2000s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
Optical |
Sensor-shift |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
6.80 m |
10.00 m |
| Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
1/160s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
1.0 fps |
3.0 fps |
| Multi-Segment |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Spot |
|
|
| Partial |
|
|
| AF-Area |
|
|
| Center Weighted |
|
|
| AE Bracketing |
|
|
| WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
| Max Video Resolution |
1280 x 720 |
1280 x 720 |
| Video Formats |
Motion JPEG |
Motion JPEG |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Eye-Fi Connected |
None |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
601g |
334g |
| Dimensions |
123 x 92 x 108mm |
115 x 72 x 42mm |
| Battery Life |
n/a |
290 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
|
|
| GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |