Olympus SZ-30MR vs Leica M9-P Comparison

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Olympus SZ-30MR

16 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Leica M9-P

18 MP | Full frame (36 x 24 mm) CCD Sensor

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Olympus SZ-30MR vs Leica M9-P Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Olympus SZ-30MR, which was introduced in March 2011 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Leica M9-P, which was introduced in June 2011 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 18.0MP Full frame sensor. There is only 4 months difference between SZ-30MR and M9-P so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Olympus SZ-30MR Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-03-02

16MP - 1/2.3-inch CMOS Sensor

ISO 80 - 3200

25-600 mm F3.0-6.9 Zoom Lens

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

2 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

226g. 106 x 69 x 40 mm

Leica M9-P Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-06-21

18MP - Full frame CCD Sensor

No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter

ISO 80 - 2500

Leica M Mount

2.5" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (rangefinder) viewfinder

2 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

600g. 139 x 80 x 37 mm

Replaced Leica M9 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Olympus SZ-30MR over Leica M9-P

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max ISO	3.200 vs 2.500	28% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.5"	0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	460k dots vs 230k dots	100% higher resolution screen
Weight	226 g vs 600 g	374 g lighter
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080 vs None	Higher Resolution Video

Reasons to choose Leica M9-P over Olympus SZ-30MR

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Optical vs None	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution	18 MP vs 16 MP	12% more pixels
Max Mech. Shutter	1/4000s vs 1/1700s	faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life	350 shots vs 220 shots	130 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Sensor Pixel Area	47.73µm² vs 1.76µm²	2611% larger pixel area

Common Strengths of Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P

Common Weaknesses of Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.5"	Small display
LCD Screen Resolution	460k dots vs 230k dots	Low resolution screens
Continuous Shooting	2.0fps vs 2.0fps	Slow shooting speeds
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing	No vs No	Not good for multi-exposure HDR

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Leica M9-P: 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 Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Olympus SZ-30MR has external dimensions of 106 x 69 x 40 mm (4.17 x 2.72 x 1.57″) and weighs 226 g (0.50 lb / 7.97 oz) (including batteries). Leica M9-P has external dimensions of 139 x 80 x 37 mm (5.47 x 3.15 x 1.46″) and weighs 600 g (1.32 lb / 21.16 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P. Olympus SZ-30MR is 33mm narrower and 11mm shorter than Leica M9-P but it is also 3mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Olympus SZ-30MR has a built-in lens but Leica M9-P doesn't. Once you put a lens on M9-P, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P.

Top View Comparison image of Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus SZ-30MR is significantly lighter (374g ) than the Leica M9-P 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 M9-P, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Olympus SZ-30MR nor Leica M9-P 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 Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus SZ-30MR's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Leica M9-P's 2.5" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Leica M9-P: Sensor Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR has a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic III+ processor. On the other hand, Leica M9-P has a 18.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Leica M9-P's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the SZ-30MR and M9-P sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P Cameras

As seen above, Leica M9-P has a 30.8x Larger sensor area than Olympus SZ-30MR. 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.

What types of Photography are Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P 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.

Olympus SZ-30MR for Portrait Photography

POOR

Leica M9-P for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Olympus SZ-30MR for Street Photography

GOOD

Leica M9-P for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Read the details

Olympus SZ-30MR for Sports Photography

POOR

Leica M9-P for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
600 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1700s
Unknown Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.90
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details

Olympus SZ-30MR for Daily Photography

GOOD

Leica M9-P for Daily Photography

GOOD

Compact Body
226g
24.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Body Thickness 40mm
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
600g
Read the details

Olympus SZ-30MR for Landscape Photography

POOR

Leica M9-P for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Leica M9-P: 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 Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P, 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 Olympus SZ-30MR and Leica M9-P scores compare:

Olympus SZ-30MR

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #213 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #790 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Leica M9-P

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #117 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #509 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Leica M9-P has a higher Overall Score than the Olympus SZ-30MR mainly because of its huge advantage in Image quality. In all other areas, Olympus SZ-30MR excels. It is a tough choice!
If image quality is your priority, get the Leica M9-P.
If you are ready to compromise image quality for extra features, compactness and value, choose Olympus SZ-30MR

Leica M9-P vs Olympus SZ-30MR Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Olympus SZ-30MR	Leica M9-P
Brand	Olympus	Leica
Announced	2011-03-02	2011-06-21
Body Type	Compact	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CCD
Size	1/2.3-inch	Full frame
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	36 x 24 mm
Area	28.07mm²	864.00mm²
Megapixels	16 megapixels	18 megapixels
Max Resolution	4608 x 3456	5212 x 3472
Max Native Light sensitivity	3,200 ISO	2,500 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	80 ISO	80 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	n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	Leica M
Lens Focal Range	25-600 mm (24×)	no lens
Max Aperture	F3.0-6.9	no lens
Macro Focus Range	1cm	no lens
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3"	2.5"
Resolution	460k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Optical (rangefinder)
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a	0.68x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/1700s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	4.00 m	no built-in flash
Max Flash Sync	n/a	s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	2.0 fps	2.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080	None
Video Formats	MPEG-4	n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Eye-Fi Connected	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	226g	600g
Dimensions	106 x 69 x 40mm	139 x 80 x 37mm
Battery Life	220 shots	350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	68
DxO Color Depth	not tested	22.5
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	11.6
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	854
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