Olympus E-30 review

Overall, we were quite happy with the photos produced by the E-30. Although its weakness seems to be high-contrast light (which may require 14-bit processing rather than its 12-bit, to adequately capture the dynamic range), it otherwise fares very well. Under most conditions, it renders very accurate colours, even correct exposures, and, with a good lens, a very sharp image. While the sensitivity range maxes out at ISO 3,200, photos are usable all the way up (depending upon scene content, of course), and excellent at ISO 800 and below.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Raw shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim light)

Shutter lag (typical)

Olympus E-3

1.3 

0.5 

0.8 

0.3 

Olympus E-30

0.7 

0.6 

0.7 

0.3 

Canon EOS 50D

0.2 

0.3 

0.9 

0.4 

Nikon D90

0.2 

0.6 

0.9 

0.4 

Nikon D300

0.1 

0.5 

0.9 

0.5 

Canon EOS 40D

0.3 

0.4 

1.2 

0.5 

Conclusion
Much of the E-30's competitive appeal will depend upon trends in the price of it and its competitors. Unless you need the dust- and weather-sealed body construction or better burst performance of the E-3, the higher-resolution E-30 makes a great inexpensive alternative, but we've seen prices for the E-3 dropping. If you're not committed to a system from Canon or Nikon, the Olympus E-30's in-body stabilisation and articulating LCD alone probably make it worth consideration.

Additional editing by Charles Kloet