Olympus E-30 Digital SLR Camera

"The E-30 SLR offers convenience and advanced features, plus great image quality, too."

Kathleen Cullen from PC World has an article at washingtonpost.com.

The Olympus E-30 has a well-rounded feature set that should appeal both to consumers upgrading from lower-end DSLR cameras and to buyers looking for something of a more semipro caliber. The E-30 is sold as a kit ($1350 as of 7/7/09, including a 14mm-to-54mm lens) and as the body only ($950 as of 7/7/09).

Compared with its older sibling, the Olympus E3, the E-30 has a smaller body and a lighter weight. On this model Olympus has sacrificed the weatherproof, magnesium-alloy body in favor of a plastic and fiberglass version, which may be a deal-breaker for photographers inclined toward outdoor shooting. The E-30 features a handy swiveling LCD so that you can capture shots from odd angles, or even simply rotate it and snap it inward to protect it while you're out and about.

The E-30 boosts the image sensor to 12.3 megapixels, from 10 megapixels in the E3. It also adds Art Filters, effects such as pinhole, soft focus, pop art, and grainy tone. Though you can preview these effects in Live View, you can't modify them in-camera. As for more-concrete functionality, the E-30 adds improved contrast detection focus, in-body stabilization for vertical panning, and improved electronic AF adjustments for older and third-party lenses.

Buy Olympus E30 12.3MP Digital SLR with Image Stabilization (Body Only)

Via washingtonpost.com

Olympus DSLR rebates in May with up to $200 in savings

Save Up to $200 on Select Digital SLRs in May!

May is National Photo Month! To celebrate, Olympus is offering huge Instant Rebates on the following popular digital SLRs. Offers valid now through May 31.

* E-620 Body $599.99 after $100 instant rebate
* E-620 One-Lens Kit (with 14-42mm) $699.99 after $100 instant rebate
* E-620 Two-Lens Kit (14-42mm and 40-150mm) $799 after $100 instant rebate
* E-520 SuperZoom Kit (14-42mm + 70-300mm) $799 after $100 instant rebate
* E-30 Body $999.99 after $100 instant rebate.
* E-30 with 14-42mm $1,099.99 after $100 instant rebate.
* E-30 with 14-54mm II $1,399.99 after $200 instant rebate.
* E-30 with 12-60mm $1,799.99 after $200 instant rebate.

Prices may vary. Valid only at participating retailers. For complete details or to purchase, please contact an Olympus Authorized Dealer or Olympus Premier Dealer.

Via Olympus America

Olympus E30 Art Modes and Filters, review

Tan Kit Hoong at The Star Online posted an article, half-review, half-something-else, reviewing the Olympus E30 while focusing mostly on art modes and filters, vignetting, retro stylish shots and more.

Funky ­filters and modes give an interesting twist to the Olympus E-30 DSLR.

THERE was a time when DSLRs were meant for professional and serious amateur use, while compact cameras were meant for parties and casual users.

The main difference was that DSLRs generally were a bit more difficult to use and lacked compact digicam features like Live View and video recording.

These days, of course, the lines are definitely blurring, with DSLRs and compact cameras getting ever closer in terms of features and ­pricing.

Most DSLRs come with Live View (and some with video recording) and prices for entry level models are very close to what you’d pay for a high-end compact digicam.

The Olympus E-30 blurs these lines even further.

Via star-techcentral.com

Olympus E-30 DSLR review

UK-based Photography Press site has a review of the E-30 DSLR form Olympus. Here's what they say:

Olympus’ first and newest pro-consumer DSLR, the E-30, sits beneath the E-3, sat at the top of the Olympus FourThirds System range and above the E-520 and more effectively bridges a gap for Olympus aficionados between the keen snappers and enthusiasts.

The E-30 looks similar to the E-3 but lacks the weather sealing and ruggedised build of the pro model, the E-30 sporting a well crafted and sculpted hand grip on a surprisingly large body, more or less as big as the E-3.

But the E-30 sports a few new features the E-3 would be proud to have within its toughened body. For a start the sensor has a new 12.3-megapixel LiveMOS sensor so the first thing to say is yes, you get Live View (more on this later) and the second is, despite the boost in resolution, image quality in terms of noise remains impressive.

Read the full review here.

Buy an Olympus E30 12.3MP Digital SLR with Image Stabilization (Body Only)

Olympus E-30 Review at photographyblog

The Olympus E-30 is the new mid-range model in Olympus's E-System DSLR line-up, slotting seamlessly into the gap between the cheaper, entry-level E-520 and the more expensive, professional E-3. The E-30 borrows quite a lot of features from its big brother, including the fast 11-point auto-focus system, shutter speeds of up to 1/8000th second, 1/250th sec maximum flash sync speed, 5fps continuous shooting, built-in image stabiliser which stabilises all lenses, Live View on a multi-angle LCD screen and the Supersonic Wave Filter dust reduction system. Key differences include more megapixels (12.3 versus the E3's 10), a smaller and lighter body, slightly larger 2.7 inch LCD screen, smaller viewfinder, addition of Face Detection, and no dust- or weather-sealing on the camera body. The E-30 also has a number of interesting "creative" features up its sleeve, including a range of Art Filter effects which are applied as you take a photo, a Multiple Exposure mode for combining images into one, nine separate aspect ratios, and an integrated pitch and roll Level Gauge which helps to ensure that both your horizons and verticals should always be straight. Olympus have taken a long time to join the mid-range market, but is it a case of too little, too late? Priced at $1300 / £850 body only, can the Olympus E-30 compete with the likes of the Canon EOS 50D, Nikon D90 and Sony A700, and is it a viable alternative to Olympus' own E-3?

Read the full review here.

Olympus E-30 reviewed by DigitalCameraReview

David Rasnake at DigitalCameraReview has posted a text and video review of the E-30 from Olympus, an "advanced amateur" or "prosumer" DSLR for 2009, featuring a 12.3 Megapixel Live MOS sensor, 2.7 inch LCD, a bunch of preset modes and some bells and whistles. A high performer in the shutter lag field, it offers consumer-friendly art filters and most of the E-3 features in a smaller body.

From the review:

When Olympus decides to take on any new DSLR project, two things are almost certain. First, you can bet that whatever they've got planned, they'll roll it out on their own schedule. And second, that they'll put a slightly different spin on a familiar idea. Whether you think the much debated decision to lead development efforts for the open-format Four Thirds system has been a smart move or not, it's hard not to respect Olympus for being a little "above the fray" when it come to the rampant copy-cat behavior in the quest for consumer dollars.

Read the full review here.

Olympus E-System DSLR Events

Olympus is catering to first-time users of its E-System DSLRs through a series of six classes that will be held from February through to May.

Topics Covered:

• Basic Olympus DSLR features
• Metering
• White Balance
• Aperture
• Image Stabilization
• Depth of Field
• And much more!

There will be courses geared toward both beginners as well as advanced users, and will discuss both the "art and science" of photography. Each course will run for a half-day, and will be led by technical representatives from Olympus, who are experts in photography as well as Olympus products specifically.

Check out the details at Olympus Upcoming Events list.

Other upcoming Olympus events:

Event: "Meet the Pros"

Art Institute of Colorado
Denver, CO
February 19-20, 2009
Olympus Visionaries: Jay Kinghorn & Anne Day

Pellissippi State Technical Community College
Knoxville, TN
March 19-20, 2009
Olympus Visionaries: Judy Herrmann & Nick Kelsh

Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY
March 23-24, 2009
Olympus Visionaries: Jay Dickman & Larry Price

Buy Olympus E30 12.3MP Digital SLR with Image Stabilization (Body Only)

Via hereshow.ca, Olympus

Olympus E-30 DSLR review roundup

The E-30 is for photographers looking to turn ordinary moments into extraordinary masterpieces. Autofocus Live View with Multiple Exposure shooting lets you create artistic effects in-camera. Six Art Filters instantly give your images a variety of creative looks. Features like Face Detection, Shadow Adjustment Technology and In-body Image Stabilization ensure clear, crisp images in any shooting situation. It all adds up to a DSLR for photographers who want to express themselves more artistically.

From the Olypus E-30 official page:

	On-screen Autofocus with Live View works as seamlessly as a point-and-shoot to display subjects, in focus, on the LCD the instant the shutter is pressed half way.
	With the new camera’s Multiple Exposure function it is possible to alter space and time by combining images shot in different locations and moments, lending your photos another dramatic dimension. You can either combine the images in playback mode; or, thanks to the new TruePic III+ Image Processor, you can compose, capture and combine your images on the fly directly on the camera’s LCD.
	The benefits of the Four Thirds Mount on Olympus E-System cameras are many. You get a digitally designed image sensor, a compact design, as well as expandability and compatibility with the rest of the Four Thirds System.
	The new Art Filters allow you to replicate dramatic effects as you shoot using the Autofocus Live View LCD.
	Tracks up to 8 faces and automatically focuses and optimizes exposures for sharp, brilliant portrait pictures.

Feature highlights:

• Shadow Adjustment Technology
• On-screen Autofocus with Live View
• Four Thirds Mount
• 2.7-inch dual-axis, high-definition, Live ViewLCD monitor
• nine aspect ratios, from the standard 4:3 to the cinematic 16:9
• 12.3-megapixel Live-MOS sensor
• 14-54mm II lens with high-speed Imager AF
• Supersonic Wave Filter - Olympus dust reduction system
• Art Filters support
• Manual, Program, Aperture, and Shutter Speed Priority settings
• five Metering Modes: Digital ESP metering, Center weighted averaging metering, and three types of spot metering
• internal Digital Level Sensor
• In-Body AF Focus Adjustment
• compatible with the Olympus FL-50R and FL-36R wireless electronic flashes
• supports Compact Flash Type I & II, UDMA , Microdrives, and xD-Picture Cards

Read the technical specifications here.

Olympus E30 12.3MP Digital SLR with Image Stabilization (Body Only)

Now for the list of reviews:

Read the Olympus E-30 review on these pages:

1. dpreview.com
2. letsgodigital.org
3. imaging-resource
   
4. pcworld.com
5. biofos.com
6. digitalpixels.net
7. evenbetterphotos.com
   
8. ces-show.com
   
9. elitezoom.com
10. anandtech.com
11. mounthshut.com
12. neutralday.com (preview)
13. gatzet.com
14. photographyreview.com
15. fourthirds-user.com
16. demystifyingdigital.com
17. masterchong.com (body review only)
18. diwa-labs.com (with Zuiko Digital 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 II lens)
    

Or check these video reviews of the Olympus E30:

part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p64hlO3fpkM
part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZZJ6Sx9Urs
part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKhVeJttDVE

And another E30 review split to part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.