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Olympus E-30 reviews
You can find here the most interesting reviews / ratings from the well-known expert sites about the Olympus E-30 Camera. Here are the reviewers:
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- 23 December 2009 - |
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- 0 |
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- 28 March 2009 - |
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- 0 |
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- 24 March 2009 - |
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- 4.5 |
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- 26 February 2009 - |
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- 4.5 |
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- 25 February 2009 - |
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- 4.5 |
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- 28 January 2009 - |
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- 4 |
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- 23 January 2009 - |
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- 0 |
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- 30 December 2008 - |
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- 5 |
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- 11 December 2008 - |
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- 3.5 |
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- 10 November 2008 - |
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- 0 |
DPInterface 's conclusion / rating - 23 December 2009 |
“ The Olympus E30 is a midrange digital SLR with much to offer: 12 megapixels, a flip out and rotate LCD with live view, full manual controls and excellent battery life. First off, I have to mention that the camera is very fast and handles just the way you’d expect a midrange SLR would. The Olympus E30 won’t have you waiting around and the camera does well in terms of continuous shooting – its 5 FPS speed is faster than entry-level digital SLRs, but is notably slower than some other midrange SLRs (Canon 50D, Nikon D300).
The Olympus E30 has a big bunch of manual controls – full exposure manipulation as you’d expect, along with advanced white balance options and four bracketing modes. There are also useful features such as wireless flash control and lens fine-tuning (up to 20 lenses). The E30 is also right up there with other cameras with plenty of physical controls so constant diving into the Menu is rare.
For beginners and amateurs, there are various scene modes and the Olympus E30 has its fair share of point-and-shoot features, including face detection and Art Filters (which enthusiasts can also make use of, by the way). The ability to vary the effects of Art Filters would’ve been nice, but I guess we’ll have to wait till Olympus’ future SLRs for that, huh?
Like most other SLR cameras, the Olympus E30 has a rather sluggish live view mode that’s only useful for still life subjects and studio shooting. Manual focus enlargement and a live histogram are available in live view mode. The camera’s rotating 2.7 inch display somewhat makes up for slow live view focusing by allowing you to shoot at “creative” angles and manually focus above heads in a crowd to get a shot (hopefully). The Olympus E30 lacks a movie mode (much like the Canon 50D and Nikon D300), which you may or may not miss – but most entry-level SLRs have it for marketing purposes; to check more “boxes” on consumers’ shopping lists.
The Olympus E30’s image quality is similar to that of the E620, which isn’t surprising, considering they share the same 12 megapixel image sensor. Image quality is very good with controlled noise levels (usable till ISO 1600) and satisfactory detail resolution (even with the kit lens). However, it is worth noting that the Olympus E30 is at a slight disadvantage versus APS-C sensor SLRs thanks to its smaller image sensor; and produces images which are a little noisier than the competition.
In and of itself, the Olympus E30 is a fantastic digital SLR camera but there’s a problem: it’s a bit on the expensive side once you consider its capable sibling, the E620, does almost the same thing at two thirds the price. I would recommend checking out the list of differences at the beginning of the review and from there; decide if you’d like to save some cash with the E620 or go with the more feature-ful E30. Also, for almost the same price, and if you haven’t invested in any SLR system yet, you can get the Canon EOS 50D which is very competitive in terms of feature set... ”
DPInterface's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
DigitalCameraInfo 's conclusion / rating - 28 March 2009 |
“ The Olympus E-30 seems to be a bold move to fold point-and-shoot functionality into a mid-range SLR, thus making it more approachable for a new user, but maintaining the additional feature set and build quality of a more expensive camera. Unfortunately, for all its good intentions, the E-30 suffered from a very poor lab-tested performance, mostly due to its unacceptable noise levels and dynamic range. It had some decent results with resolution and image stabilization, and has potential for very specific situations. For example, it's good performance under bright natural light, excellent image stabilization and sharpness, and ability to pack a great zoom into a small lens would make it potentially worthwhile for wildlife photography. However for everyday use, not so much. Considering that a Nikon D90 costs significantly less than the E-30, and for only a little more you could pick up the Canon 50D (or Olympus E-3 if you're a company supporter), we have to recommend that you purchase one of these due to their significantly better overall performance in our tests... ”
DigitalCameraInfo's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
DPReview 's conclusion / rating - 24 March 2009 |
“ Olympus DSLRs keep getting better, and the E-30 is undoubtedly the best yet. Despite only twelve months gap between them the E-30 is a considerably more appealing camera than the E-3 (which, thanks to its tank-like construction, still sits above it in the range). This isn't because the image quality is better (which at lower ISO settings it arguably is - certainly it has more highlight dynamic range and a touch more resolution), but because it's just so much nicer to use. The controls just feel like they're in the right place, and it handles as well as anything in this class - and a lot better than some.
Price aside, there's a lot to recommend the E-30. I really enjoyed the two months I spent with it, and was constantly impressed by the output under ISO 800. It's a fantastic upgrade for E-420/E-520 users, and it's the best Four Thirds camera we've seen to date (though the E-620 is looking like a close contender). What I struggled with was a killer argument for anyone not currently invested in the E system to choose it over any other camera in this price range. Whereas the E-620 represents, for us, everything that's great about Four Thirds; packing a huge feature set into a tiny body, the bulkier E-30 has to work a little harder, and to rely on its unique 'in camera creativity' features to make it stand out in the hugely competitive mid-range market.
Whether these features - and those great lenses - are enough, well that's up to you to decide. But (as long as you're not a high ISO lover) I can assure you that if you are tempted by the E-30's many charms, you're unlikely to be disappointed. The E-system has long lacked a credible alternative to the hugely popular models at the top of Canon and Nikon's enthusiast DSLR lineups; with the E-30 Olympus has delivered just what was needed - and thrown some interesting creative tools into the mix too... ”
Complete review here
PhotoReview 's conclusion / rating - 26 February 2009 |
“ Designed for photo enthusiasts and amateur photographers who want a more sophisticated camera, the new Olympus E-30 is the first in a series of 'double-digit' models that will slot in between the 'three-digit' entry-level models and the professional 'single-digit' camera. The new camera's 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor replaces the 10-megapixel imager currently used across the company's DSLR range. The E-30 also features a new image processor... ”
PhotoReview's rating: |
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- 4.5 |
Complete review here
CNET Australia 's conclusion / rating - 25 February 2009 |
“ For those who have already invested in the four thirds system, the E-30 is a great upgrade. It's versatile and robust for advanced photographers, yet still simple enough for a keen beginner to pick up and play with. If you don't need water and dustproofing, and can stomach the hefty price tag, we would recommend this camera over the larger, professional grade E-3... ”
CNET Australia's rating: |
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- 4.5 |
Complete review here
PhotographyBLOG 's conclusion / rating - 28 January 2009 |
“ The E-30 is a brave attempt by Olympus to offer something different in the mid-range DSLR market, with a strong emphasis on in-camera creative effects that actually prove to be fun to use. The Multiple Exposure mode in particular is a great example of making a traditional photographic technique easier. Sure, you can replicate most of the E-30's artistic filters on a computer, but there's something to be said for being able to do it instantly and even preview the effect before you press the shutter button. This creative strength is backed up by an almost pro-level suite of features which are easily on a par and in some cases better than the main competition, plus very quick auto-focusing when using both the traditional phase-detection system through the viewfinder and the contrast-detection system in Live View mode via the LCD screen.
Having said all of that, there are also a few areas where the Olympus E-30 doesn't quite make the grade. Image quality from the smaller 4/3rds sensor isn't as good as that from the APS-C competitors, with noise in particular an issue at relatively slow ISO speeds. The E-30 is also an initially intimidating camera to use, with a lot of external controls and in particular a convoluted menu system and info screen which could really do with an overhaul. Olympus haven't helped themselves or their users by burying some of the key options, such as the Level Gauge and Multiple Exposure setting, deep within the lengthy Custom menus. Finally, the recommended retail price isn't going to help steal away users from Canon and Nikon - at £850 / $1300 body only, it costs roughly about the same as a Canon 50D body or Nikon D90 with a kit lens, and is even approaching Olympus' own range-topping E-3 model.
So in conclusion, while the Olympus E-30 has a lot going for it, particularly for experienced users looking for something a little different, or prospective E-3 buyers who don't need the weather-sealing, it also has some notable downsides that ultimately prevent us from awarding it a higher rating. The E-30 is easy to recommend as an upgrade to existing owners of entry-level Olympus DSLRs like the E-420 and E-520, but it probably won't tempt people away from Canon and Nikon... ”
PhotographyBLOG's rating: |
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- 4 |
Complete review here
DigitalCameraReview 's conclusion / rating - 23 January 2009 |
“ There were a few minor bumps in the road for the E-30, but as a rule, we've come away generally impressed from our time with this camera. Olympus has certainly packed in all the right features to make this model appealing to the enthusiast market.
With this in mind, I'll admit that where I'm conflicted on the E-30 has nothing to do its performance or features, and everything to do with its price. For about $1300 at the moment, you get Olympus's very good, very fresh advanced amateur body. Not only does this price the body-only E-30 above most of its rivals' kit prices, but Olympus's full-on professional model is only ringing up a few hundred dollars higher at some retailers right now. Admittedly, the E-3 is starting to look a little long in the tooth, and certainly doesn't have some of the cool features and brand new technologies that the E-30 offers, but in exchange you get a highly rugged pro spec camera body.
Other than the possible temptation to jump straight into the pro system, there's very little to keep Olympus fans from coming to the E-30 in droves. Amid some stiff competition – on both features and price – from some of the best cameras we've reviewed in awhile in the 50D and, especially, the D90, it's hard to tell how successful the E-30 will be in convincing users to jump ship from other manufacturers. But on its own merits, the E-30 is a good buy for advanced shooters that, with a few operational tweaks and/or a price cut, might just be a great one. In either case, there's enough that's different here to make the E-30 worth checking out: after all and especially in photography, different perspectives can be a good thing... ”
DigitalCameraReview's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
LetsGoDigital 's conclusion / rating - 30 December 2008 |
“ After intensive testing in practice combined with the technical tests in the DIWA Lab, we soon reach a verdict that the Olympus E30 is a serious DSLR offering extensive functionality. It's true that on some points the camera is being surpassed by some competitors; but the overall impression of the camera is that it is a strong and convincing DSLR camera. The Olympus E-30 is a pleasant camera to work with, one that challenges the photographer to be creative and to venture beyond just that simple snapshot; a real challenge... ”
LetsGoDigital's rating: |
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- 5 |
Complete review here
PhotographyReview 's conclusion / rating - 11 December 2008 |
“ We’re working on a complete, detailed review of the Olympus E-30. But hopefully this answers some of your initial questions and gives you an idea of how it works and where it fits in the Olympus digital SLR lineup. If you’ve got an E-510, E-420, or E-520 and you’re looking for more, the E-30 is definitely an excellent upgrade. It will outperform those cameras in every way. Compared to the E-3 it’s a tougher call. Then the question is whether you need the rugged build or not. If you don’t - and most people don’t - then the E-30 is probably the better choice... ”
PhotographyReview's rating: |
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- 3.5 |
Complete review here
Imaging Resource 's conclusion / rating - 10 November 2008 |
“ The Olympus E-30 could be an important camera for Olympus: It's their first serious effort to go after the true "enthusiast" shooter, who in the digital era have long been the almost exclusive market for Canon and Nikon SLRs. The Olympus E30 certainly hits a lot of the notes required for a camera in that market segment, and its kit lens will undoubtedly be of notably higher quality than those that most manufacturers offer as part of bundles. (The earlier version of this lens tested very well on SLRgear, where we've generally found Olympus lenses to perform well.) That said, a list price of $1,299 body-only seems pretty steep, and could be a challenge for Olympus in the marketplace.
Of course, stay tuned, we'll have full test photos, performance measurements and analysis as soon as we can get our hands on a production sample!... ”
Imaging Resource's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
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Comments (3)
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