Seventeen E-30 Impressions... 2/17 ~ John Crouchley

I had my chance to play with an E30 at the Photo Safari group meeting.

I started using Olympus cameras with a C5050Z. After a couple of years I upgraded to an E500, loving the lack of shutter lag and the ability to control depth of focus. Earlier this year I upgraded from an E500 to an E3. The prime features of the E3 over the E500 which attracted me were

• Live view with large articulating LCD – the one thing I really missed from the C5050Z – great for macros, and for holding the camera above your head when in crowds.
• 11 fully functional focus points – the 3 of the E500 really were not enough.
• Speed of start-up and focus – outstanding.
• Image stabilization in the camera body – really good at longer focal lengths.
• Good clear viewfinder with the information section below rather than to the right – essential for me as I wear glasses and could never see all of the info in the E500.

So we get onto the E30. I am delighted to say that it has all the above benefits of the E3.

The E30 feels light in the hand (compared to the E3) but still solid and well made. It balanced well with the 14-54mm lens provided and really felt like an extension of my arm. The buttons are all positioned well for my hand. The E30 also has (which I would love to have in the E3) an integrated level sensor – this appears in the LCD and is visible in the finder by half depressing the shutter button for a second. Another feature I would love to see in the E3, and which I was not able to test properly in the E30, is the auto gradation which as I understand it allows a different effective ISO for sections of the same exposure – thus giving an enhanced dynamic range.

I note that the body has a white balance sensor – so presumable auto white balance is considerably improved on the E3 – I rarely use it much preferring to set a specific balance and then adjust in post processing. The USB connector is on the back of the E30 and is easily accessed, the USB cover is attached by a tether – a great idea as these little bits of plastic are easily lost.

The E30 also has face recognition to assist the auto focus, many scene modes and art filters etc. which give it the capabilities of the modern compact cameras and will appeal to those who do not do much post processing.

In summary had the E30 come out a year earlier I would have preferred it as my E500 replacement. Indeed I shall now probably sell the E500, buy the E30 and use it as my daily camera, the E3 being used for special shoots and wet weather.

Comments

[Bruce Clarke]

I don't quite understand, your E-3 has Auto Gradation, as do the E-420 and E-520, and now the E-30. I find it works well at ISO 100 in good light, but handy to shoot raw too in case it bumps the shadow noise up too much.

Bruce

[Raphael]

I am in the same boat you were in , one step behind:
C-5060 > E-500 and now looking at both the E-3 and E-30 as an upgrade.
Had you not yet bought the E-3, which do you think you would get now if weather sealing wasn't a primary part of the decision?
Do you find that the E3 really "feels" heavier / bulkier / bigger than the E-30, especially moving from the E-500?
Prices in US seems like they'll be roughly the same for both models.

Thanks.

Raphael.

[Brian Mosley]

Hi Raphael,

if the prices are the same for both, I would grab the E-3. It's a phenomenal tool - totally bombproof and the weathersealing should not ever be underestimated. You never know when you're going to need it.

The E-30 is a tweener cam - it's more than an E-520 and less than an E-3...

Hope that helps,

Kind Regards

Brian