Nikon
D90
 vs
Olympus
E-30

Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Nikon D7000 vs Olympus E-30

Nikon D90

72

  
Olympus E-30

30

  
Winner

Nikon D90

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.63x
Sensor size
 Large sensor
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
208 ms shutter lag
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
 
Runner-up

Olympus E-30

Reasons to buy the Olympus E-30

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds
 

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 977 ISO vs 530 ISO
Help
 The D90 has a slight edge (0.9 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Overall image quality Much better image quality 73.0 vs 55.0
Help
 More than 30% better image quality
Sensor size Much larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs Four thirds 18.0x13.5mm
Help
 More than 50% larger sensor
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 10.4 EV
Help
 2.1 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 930k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4x higher resolution screen
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Catch candid moments easily
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Lens availability Much more lenses available 169 lenses vs 26 lenses
Help
 6.5x more lenses available
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 21.3 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.4 more bits of color
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.63x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 50% larger viewfinder
Size Smaller 132x103x77 mm vs 142x108x75 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90

Advantages of the Olympus E-30
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 30s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 98% vs 96%
Help
 Almost the same
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 5 fps vs 4.5 fps
Help
 More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Lighter 665 g vs 703 g
Help
 Around 10% lighter
Olympus E-30 Learn more about
the Olympus E-30
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent entry-level DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D90 Nikon D90
72 vs 30
Explain scores
Olympus E-30 Olympus E-30
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D90.

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Weight Heavy Help
D90:703 g
E-30:665 g
Light sensitivity (boost) One has boost ISO Help
D90:6,400 ISO
E-30:None
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Size Large Help
D90:132x103x77 mm
E-30:142x108x75 mm
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
12.2 MP
Movie format One shoots movies Help
D90:720p @ 24fps
E-30:None
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
Compare the D5100 vs the E-30
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Compare the D7000 vs the E-30
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$699 - $899 body only

$999 - $1,279 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Compare the EOS 60D vs the E-30
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$547 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D3200 vs the D90
Compare the D3200 vs the E-30
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$549 body only

$599 - $649 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D90
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the E-30
Nikon D300

Nikon D300

Pro DSLR

$1,764 body only
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D300 vs the D90
Compare the D300 vs the E-30
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,499 body only

$1,699 with 28-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D90
Compare the EOS 7D vs the E-30

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Lowest price Much more expensive
Sensor size Smaller sensor
Compare the D7100 vs the D90
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$447 - $740 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Autofocus Video autofocus
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Nikon D5200

Nikon D5200

Entry-level DSLR

$697 body only

$797 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Viewfinder size Significantly smaller viewfinder
Battery life Significantly shorter battery life
Compare the D5200 vs the D90

Olympus E-30 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus E-3

Olympus E-3

Entry-level DSLR
Color depth Better color depth
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
True resolution Lower true resolution
Compare the E-3 vs the E-30
Olympus E-620

Olympus E-620

Entry-level DSLR
Size Much smaller
Thickness Much thinner
Viewfinder Doesn't have a pentaprism viewfinder
Viewfinder coverage Less viewfinder coverage
Compare the E-620 vs the E-30
Olympus E-5

Olympus E-5

Entry-level DSLR

$1,699 body only
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Size Significantly larger
Weight Much heavier
Compare the E-5 vs the E-30
Olympus E-520

Olympus E-520

Entry-level DSLR
Size Much smaller
Thickness Significantly thinner
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Viewfinder size Smaller viewfinder
Compare the E-520 vs the E-30
Placeholder

Olympus E-500

Entry-level DSLR
Size Much smaller
Thickness Much thinner
Live view No live view
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the E-500 vs the E-30

appearance

Nikon D90 Olympus E-30
Nikon D90 Olympus E-30
Nikon D90 Olympus E-30

discussion

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