CameraDecision
  • CAMERAS
  • LENSES
  • TOOLS
    • Smart Find
    • 1-on-1 Comparison
    • Size Comparison
  • BRANDS
    • Sony Cameras
    • Canon Cameras
    • Nikon Cameras
    • Pentax Cameras
    • Fujifilm Cameras
    • Olympus Cameras
    • Panasonic Cameras
    • Leica Cameras
    • Samsung Cameras
  • BODY TYPE
    • Mirrorless Cameras
    • DSLR Cameras
    • Compact Cameras
    • Bridge Cameras
    • Waterproof Cameras

Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-30 Comparison

x
Camera to replace
Change

Nikon D80

10 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CCD Sensor

Nikon D80
CHECK PRICE
CHECK PRICE
Change

Olympus E-30

12 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Olympus E-30
CHECK PRICE
CHECK PRICE
Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-30 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing D80 and E-30, two Advanced DSLR cameras from Nikon and Olympus. Nikon D80 has a 10.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Olympus E-30 has a 12.0MP Four Thirds sensor. Nikon D80 was introduced to market in September 2006 and Olympus E-30 was launched in March 2009. As you can see, D80 is 3 years older than E-30. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D80 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2006-09-23
  • 10MP - APS-C CCD Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 1600 ( expands to 3200)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 2.5" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 668g. 132 x 103 x 77 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D70 Compare

Olympus E-30 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-03-24
  • 12MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 695g. 142 x 108 x 75 mm

Nikon D80 was replaced by Nikon D90. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D90 vs Nikon D80
Nikon D90 vs Olympus E-30

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon D80 over Olympus E-30
Viewfinder Magnification
0.64x vs 0.56x Larger Viewfinder
Weight
668 g vs 695 g 27 g lighter
Color Depth
22.1 vs 21.3 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
11.2 vs 10.4 higher dynamic range
Sensor Pixel Area
37.14µm2 vs 18.45µm2 101% larger pixel area


Reasons to choose Olympus E-30 over Nikon D80
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
12 MP vs 10 MP 19% more pixels
Max ISO
3.200 vs 1.600 100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size
2.7" vs 2.5" 0.2 inches larger display
Viewfinder Coverage
98% vs 95% More accurate viewfinder
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
5.0fps vs 3.0fps 2 fps faster
Low Light ISO
530 vs 524 better High ISO performance
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune)
Yes vs No Adjust each lens for more accurate focusing

Common Strengths of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Top LCD Display
Yes vs Yes Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30
LCD Screen Size
2.5" vs 2.7" Small display
LCD Screen Resolution
230k dots vs 230k dots Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-30: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

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 Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon D80 has external dimensions of 132 x 103 x 77 mm (5.2 x 4.06 x 3.03″) and weighs 668 g (1.47 lb / 23.56 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-30 has external dimensions of 142 x 108 x 75 mm (5.59 x 4.25 x 2.95″) and weighs 695 g (1.53 lb / 24.52 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30. Nikon D80 is 10mm narrower and 5mm shorter than Olympus E-30 but it is also 2mm thicker.

Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-30 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30.
Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-30 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D80 is 27g lighter than the Olympus E-30 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Nikon D80 has an APS-C sized sensor and Olympus E-30 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-30's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Nikon D80 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D80
E-30
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D80
E-30
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon D80 nor Olympus E-30 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 DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus E-30's 2.7" LCD screen is slightly larger than Nikon D80's 2.5" screen.

Moreover, Olympus E-30 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. On the other hand, Nikon D80 has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to E-30.
Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-30: Sensor Comparison

Nikon D80 has a 10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Olympus E-30 has a 12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic III+ processor.

Below you can see the D80 and E-30 sensor size comparison.

Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-30 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30 Cameras


As seen above, Nikon D80 has a 1.7x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-30. 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.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, D80 has scored 61, 6 points higher than E-30.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Nikon D80 61 22.1 bits 11.2 Evs 524 ISO
Olympus E-30 55 21.3 bits 10.4 Evs 530 ISO
Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-30 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Nikon D80 has an advantage over Olympus E-30. There are 309 lenses for Nikon D80's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 45 lenses for Olympus E-30's Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-30 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Nikon D80 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 106 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Nikon D80 Lenses # of Olympus E-30 Lenses
Standard Zoom 33 8
Standard Prime 21 4
Wideangle Zoom 33 4
Wideangle Prime 48 9
Telephoto Zoom 53 6
Telephoto Prime 45 4
SuperZoom 30 2
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 8 3
Macro Prime 26 4
Perspective Control Prime 11 n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 1
TOTAL 309 45

What types of Photography are Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30 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.

Nikon D80 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-30 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-30 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-30 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 750 shots
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-30 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
668g
Body Thickness 77mm
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Large Body
695g
Body Thickness 75mm
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus E-30 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
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

Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-30: OUR DECISION

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 Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30, 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 Nikon D80 and Olympus E-30 scores compare:

Nikon D80
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #71 out of 95 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #611 out of 1225 in all Cameras
Olympus E-30
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #54 out of 95 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #345 out of 1225 in all Cameras

Olympus E-30 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D80 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon D80
Nikon D80
CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

Olympus E-30
Olympus E-30
CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

Olympus E-30 vs Nikon D80 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon D80 Olympus E-30
Brand Nikon Olympus
Announced 2006-09-23 2009-03-24
Body Type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type CCD CMOS
Size APS-C Four Thirds
Dimensions 23.6 x 15.8 mm 17.3 x 13 mm
Area 372.88mm2 224.90mm2
Megapixels 10 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 3872 x 2592 4032 x 3024
Max Native Light sensitivity 1,600 ISO 3,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 3200 ISO -
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 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 n/a 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon F Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses 309 45
Screen
Type Fixed type Fully Articulated
Size 2.5" 2.7"
Resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage 95% 98%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.64x 0.56x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 13.00 m 13.00 m
Max Flash Sync 1/200s 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps 5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution None None
Video Formats n/a n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 668g 695g
Dimensions 132 x 103 x 77mm 142 x 108 x 75mm
Battery Life n/a 750 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 61 55
DxO Color Depth 22.1 21.3
DxO Dynamic Range 11.2 10.4
DxO Low Light ISO 524 530
Report a correction Report a correction


FOLLOW US


Most Popular Cameras
Nikon Z7
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Sony A6000
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Sony E Mount
Sony A7 III
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
Fujifilm X-T3
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Canon R
30 MP | Full frame Sensor | Canon RF Mount
Sony A6400
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Sony E Mount
Nikon D5600
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Nikon F Mount
Nikon D850
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon F Mount
Top Rated DSLR Cameras
Top DSLR Cameras Under $500
Top DSLR Cameras Under $750
Top DSLR Cameras Under $1000
Top DSLR Cameras Under $1500
Latest Cameras
Pentax K-3 III
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Pentax KAF2 Mount
Sigma fp L
61 MP | Full frame Sensor | Leica L Mount
Fujifilm GFX 100S
102 MP | Medium format Sensor | Fujifilm G Mount
Fujifilm X-E4
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Sony a1
50 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
Leica SL2-S
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Leica L Mount
Leica Q2 Monochrom
47 MP | Full frame Sensor | 28 mm
Fujifilm X-S10
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Copyright © 2021 by CameraDecision
About Feedback Privacy Cameras

Report a Correction