Olympus E30 vs Sony DSLR-A580

Sony DSLR-A580 advantages over Olympus E30

• Less expensive
  $900 vs $1299 (MSRP)
  Save money for lenses or accessories
• Larger sensor
  APS-C vs 4/3
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• In-camera panoramas
  Yes vs No
  Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
• Better color depth

  Better color depth

  Color depth refers to the number of unique colors that a sensor can faithfully capture. Cameras with better color depth will demonstrate smoother transitions from one color to the next, and avoid "banding" in areas with subtle shading. (Blue skies are an example of where you might see color banding.)

  More color depth is generally better, but you'll struggle to notice a difference between two cameras with less than 1 bit of difference. Color depth above 22 bits is considered excellent.

  Want to learn more? Head over to our full glossary entry on color depth

  Color depth test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  DSLR-A580 test data on DxO Mark E30 test data on DxO Mark
  23.8 vs 21.3 bits
  Capture richer, more accurate colors
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  DSLR-A580 test data on DxO Mark E30 test data on DxO Mark
  1,123 vs 530 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  DSLR-A580 test data on DxO Mark E30 test data on DxO Mark
  13.3 vs 10.4 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  1050 vs 650 shots
  Capture more photos
• HDMI out
  HDMI out vs None
  Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
• More dots on screen
  922k vs 230k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• More pixels
  16.2 vs 12.3 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Higher extended ISO
  25600 vs 3200 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility