Olympus E-30 DSLR Shines

Olympus’ E-30 New model the best yet in DSLR lineup

(Credit: Olympus America)

With a price gap of about $900 between the Olympus E-520 and the E-3, Olympus has long had a pretty big hole in its dSLR lineup--a hole populated by extremely popular competitors like the Nikon D90, the Canon EOS 40D, and the Canon EOS 50D. But with the announcement of the E-30, it looks like Olympus is entering the ring swinging.

Key specs olympus E 30 Dslr :

	Canon EOS 50D	Nikon D90	Olympus E-30	Olympus E-3
Sensor	14.7-megapixel CMOS	12.3-megapixel CMOS	12.3-megapixel Live MOS	10.1-megapixel Live MOS
Color depth	14 bits	12 bits	12 bits	12 bits
Sensitivity range	ISO 100 - ISO 3,200/12,800 (expanded)	ISO 100 - ISO 3,200/6,400 (expanded)	ISO 100 - ISO 3,200	ISO 100 - ISO 3,200
Focal-length multiplier	1.6x	1.5x	2x	2x
Continuous shooting	6.3 fps 90 JPEG/16 raw	4.5 fps 100 JPEG/n/a raw	5 fps n/a JPEG/12 raw	6.5fps n/a JPEG/12 raw
Viewfinder	95% coverage 0.95x magnification User interchangeable focusing screens	96% coverage 0.94x magnification fixed focusing screen	98% coverage 1.02x magnification fixed focusing screen	100% coverage 1.15x magnification Mfr. interchangeable focusing screens
Autofocus	9-pt AF all cross-type	11-pt AF center cross-type	11-pt AF all cross-type	11-pt AF all cross-type
Live View	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
LCD size	3 inches	3 inches	2.7 inches	2.5 inches
Approximate street price (body only)	$1,399	$999	$1,299	$1,499

Olympus Zuiko 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Lens for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras

Olympus SP-565UZ 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Optical Dual Image

Stabilized Zoom

Along with the E-30, Olympus is also issuing a refresh for its veteran 14-54mm lens. The Zuiko 14-54mm II f2.8-3.5 (28-108mm equivalent) retains the dust- and splashproof construction for pairing with the E-3 and adds improved contrast AF performance (for Live View focusing); a switch to a circular aperture design, which we're seeing quite a bit of, and the ability to focus closer than 3 inches (down from 8.7)