It could be called advanced amateur, “prosumer,” semi-pro DSLR camera. It is the Olympus E-30 that appears to cover the gap the consumer-focused E-520 and the professional E-3.

The E-30 features a newly designed 12.3 megapixel Live MOS imager that works in conjunction with the same open-format Four Thirds lens and body system that previous Olympus DSLRs have participated in. borrowing a variant of the professional. It offers an upgraded version of Olympus’s well-known live view technology and a large, bright optical viewfinder that provides 98 percent coverage. The 11 point AF system and a 2.7 inch display the E-30 has borrowed from the E-3.

The size-wise E-30 is built in a composite body unlike upper tier advanced cameras like the Nikon D300 and Olympus’s own E-3 that feel too bulky.

Olympus also claims to have improved the E-30’s live view system in the arena of contrast-detection AF. It is said to be surprisingly quick - not quite as fast as Panasonic’s new G1, but when most live view DSLRs still take several seconds to lock focus using contrast-detection AF, the E-30’s consistent sub-second performance feels like a big jump forward. Apart from it, live view gives a possibility to see your framing in real-time which is especially in case you are using 1:1 aspect ratio, for example.

Among the camera’s features one can find a pretty one hidden in art filters shooting mode that provides a range of in-camera emulators for things like high-grain black-and-white film and pinhole camera shooting. But what a pity – in this mode you are locked in with program auto exposure control and no more! Moreover, I’d rather art filters functioned as a separate setting.

Detailed analysis of the E-30’s performance will be coming later this month, say dpreview.com. Sample images are available already now, at imaging-resource.com.

And now - what could be told for sure about The Olympus E-30 - its features:

• Imaging Sensor (Megapixels): 13.10
• Maximum Image Resolution: 4032×3024
• No Digital Zoom
• Auto Focus Assist Light
• Manual Focus
• Optical & LCD Viewfinder
• ISO Settings: 100-3200
• Shutter Speed Range: 60 - 1/8000
• Metering Modes: 49-zone Digital ESP, Center Weighted Average, Spot
• Aperture & Shutter Priority
• Full Manual Exposure
• Sensor-shift Image Stabilizer
• Digital Leveler
• Internal Flash
• Ext Flash Connection: Hot Shoe, PC sync socket
• Usable Memory Types: CF1 / CF2 / Microdrive / xD
• Uncompressed Format: RAW (.ORF)
• Weight: 655g/23.1oz

Sample Photos Gallery: digicamreview.com.

Full Reviews: steves-digicams.com, dpreview.com.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 at 11:54 am and is filed under DSLR Cameras, Olympus Cameras. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.