Olympus SZ-30MR vs Nikon S9300 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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Nikon S9300

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

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Olympus SZ-30MR vs Nikon S9300 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing SZ-30MR and S9300, two Small Sensor Superzoom cameras from Olympus and Nikon. Both Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300 cameras have 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensors. Olympus SZ-30MR was introduced to market in March 2011 and Nikon S9300 was launched in July 2012. There is 17 months difference between SZ-30MR and S9300 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger S9300, especially in sensor tech.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300 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

Nikon S9300 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-07-16

16MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 125 - 3200

25-450 mm F3.5-5.9 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

6.9 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

120fps High-Speed Video

Built-in GPS

215g. 109 x 62 x 31 mm

Replaced Nikon Coolpix S9100 Compare

Nikon S9300 was replaced by Nikon Coolpix S9500. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon Coolpix S9500 vs Nikon Coolpix S9300
Nikon Coolpix S9500 vs Olympus SZ-30MR

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Olympus SZ-30MR over Nikon Coolpix S9300

Battery Life	220 shots vs 200 shots	20 more frames with a single charge
Focal Length - Tele	600mm vs 450mm	150 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom	24× vs 18×	more flexible focal coverage
Max Aperture - Wide	3.00 vs 3.50	faster lens at wide

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix S9300 over Olympus SZ-30MR

GPS	BuiltIn vs None	track your location
LCD Screen Resolution	921k dots vs 460k dots	100% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/1700s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	6.9fps vs 2.0fps	4.9 fps faster
Weight	215 g vs 226 g	11 g lighter
Max Aperture - Tele	5.90 vs 6.90	faster lens at tele

Common Strengths of Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon Coolpix S9300

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs Optical	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Focal Length - Tele	600mm vs 450mm	Very good Telezoom

Common Weaknesses of Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon Coolpix S9300

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
External Flash Shoe	No vs No	Not suitable for flash photography
Viewfinder	None vs None	No eye-level shooting option
RAW Support	No vs No	Lower image quality
Manual Focusing	No vs No	No manual focusing modes
Manual Exposure	No vs No	No manual exposure control
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions
Max Aperture - Tele	6.90 vs 5.90	Slow lenses at tele

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Nikon S9300: 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 Nikon S9300 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). Nikon S9300 has external dimensions of 109 x 62 x 31 mm (4.29 x 2.44 x 1.22″) and weighs 215 g (0.47 lb / 7.58 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300. Nikon S9300 is 7mm shorter and 9mm thinner than Olympus SZ-30MR but it is also 3mm wider.

Comparison image of Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300.

Top View Comparison image of Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon S9300 is 11g lighter than the Olympus SZ-30MR but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

SZ-30MR

S9300

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

SZ-30MR

S9300

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Olympus SZ-30MR nor Nikon Coolpix S9300 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

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

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

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Nikon S9300: Sensor Comparison

Both Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300 have 1/2.3-inch sized 16.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.

Below you can see the SZ-30MR and S9300 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300 Cameras

Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300 have sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Nikon S9300 Lens Specs Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR features a 25-600 mm F3.0-6.9 24× zoom lens whereas Nikon S9300 features a 25-450 mm F3.5-5.9 18× zoom lens.

Both cameras have a wide angle coverage of 25mm. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f3.00, Olympus SZ-30MR is faster than Nikon S9300 at this focal length. On the tele end, Olympus SZ-30MR has 150mm longer reach than the Nikon S9300. However, with a max aperture of f5.90, Nikon S9300 is faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

SZ-30MR

S9300

Widest - Ricoh WG-M1

Average

Telezoom

Compact Cameras

SZ-30MR

S9300

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

SZ-30MR

S9300

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

SZ-30MR

S9300

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

What types of Photography are Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Olympus SZ-30MR and Nikon S9300 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

Nikon S9300 for Portrait Photography

POOR

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

Olympus SZ-30MR for Street Photography

GOOD

Nikon S9300 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

Olympus SZ-30MR for Sports Photography

POOR

Nikon S9300 for Sports Photography

POOR

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

Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 6.9fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
450 mm Tele Lens
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.9fps
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
Environmental Sealings
Unknown Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 200 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.90
Read the details

Olympus SZ-30MR for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon S9300 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

Compact Body
215g
18.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Olympus SZ-30MR for Landscape Photography

POOR

Nikon S9300 for Landscape Photography

POOR

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

Built-in GPS
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

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Nikon S9300: 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 Nikon S9300, 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 Nikon S9300 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

Nikon S9300

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #200 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #771 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Nikon S9300 has a higher Overall Score than the Olympus SZ-30MR and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon S9300 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Olympus SZ-30MR	Nikon Coolpix S9300
Brand	Olympus	Nikon
Announced	2011-03-02	2012-07-16
Body Type	Compact	Compact
Sensor
Type	CMOS	BSI-CMOS
Size	1/2.3-inch	1/2.3-inch
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area	28.07mm²	28.07mm²
Megapixels	16 megapixels	16 megapixels
Max Resolution	4608 x 3456	4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity	3,200 ISO	3,200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	80 ISO	125 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	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	25-600 mm (24×)	25-450 mm (18×)
Max Aperture	F3.0-6.9	F3.5-5.9
Macro Focus Range	1cm	4cm
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	460k dots	921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/1700s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	4.00 m	n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	2.0 fps	6.9 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Eye-Fi Connected	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	226g	215g
Dimensions	106 x 69 x 40mm	109 x 62 x 31mm
Battery Life	220 shots	200 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	Built-in
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction