Olympus E-30

Dynamic Range (2.89)

In dynamic range, once again the E-30 underwhelmed with a very poor result, far below any of the other cameras we tested. Dynamic range is a measure of a camera’s ability to record a wide range of darks and lights within a single image. A camera with a wide dynamic range will be able to capture both highlights and shadows without losing either, where one with a poor dynamic range will struggle. We test dynamic range by photographing a Kodak step-chart at various apertures across all ISOs, and we use Imatest to analyze the results by distinguishing the individual steps of grey within the chart.

The E-30 has a dynamic range adjustment setting called Gradation, which can be set to Normal, Auto, High Key or Low Key, but not turned off entirely. After our initial review was published, including data gathered using the Auto setting, we re-tested the camera with the Normal setting, and still found a disappointingly low dynamic range. When comparing Auto and Normal settings, the Normal has a slightly better dynamic range at ISO 400 and below, but slightly worse above that.

At the highest ISO settings, the dynamic range results are very small; the extremely high noise levels in the test images severely limits the dynamic range the camera can accurately capture. However, the procedure used is our standard testing procedure, and scored under the same system as every other camera we test. The bottom line is that the E-30 had much less dynamic range at these levels than all of the other cameras we have tested in our new rubric. Switching the Gradation to Normal widens the range somewhat, but not by a huge amount.

Even at ISO 100, the E-30 only managed a dynamic range of 4.49 stops in our test; significantly less than other cameras. If you shoot on RAW this increases to 6.72, a resounding endorsement for shooting uncompressed if ever there was one. It’s difficult to say why the difference between RAW and JPEG is so high; it may be due to some sort of built in noise reduction that the user cannot control, or even some issue with the JPEG compression. At ISO 3200, our results show a range of less than a single stop, though this is result is not directly accurate, as likely due Imatest’s trouble differentiating different gray steps due to the high amounts of noise. More on how we test dynamic range.

When compared to other cameras at ISO 200 (the lowest ISO found across all the comparison cameras), you get a feel for just how poorly the E-30 does when trying to capture the gamut of light levels. It’s less than half that of the much less expensive Canon XS, to say nothing of the Nikon D90.

Yet again, the small sensor haunts the Olympus E-30. Its dynamic range was exceedingly poor, dropping below a single stop at ISO 3200. This is due in to the extreme levels of noise, which cause difficulty when trying to ascertain dynamic range, as steps can easily be obscured.