Olympus E-30

Lens & Sensor

Below are examples of the zoom ratio we got out of a 14-54mm lens (28-108mm in 35 mm equivalent).

Zoom Ratio Examples
14.0 mm	26.0 mm	54.0 mm

As with all Olympus SLRs, the E-30 uses the Four Thirds sensor format, which has a unique set of advantages and disadvantages due to its small size. First, it has a 35mm crop factor of two, which means that the focal length of a lens is doubled to get its 35mm equivalent, so you can pack a much larger zoom into a smaller space. It also has very wide depth of field, which is great for overall sharpness, but makes isolating specific elements of the composition difficult at times.

Due to the high crop factor, less of the lens’s edges are used, which also accounts in part for the excellent sharpness results we found in our testing, along with minimal chromatic aberration and distortion.

However, the negatives are substantial, and for many users will outweigh the positives. Both image noise and dynamic range are unacceptably bad on this camera, and shooting at the highest ISO (3200) outputs photographs that are borderline unusable. In bright light it handles fine, but the poor dynamic range (at least when not shooting RAW) and heavy noise levels are a considerable drawback.

The sensor is vibrated at high speeds every time the camera starts up in order to knock off any dust that may have landed on it. This slows down the startup time slightly, but only to an average of 1.6 seconds.

Viewfinder (5.50)

The viewfinder isn’t going to blow anyone away on this machine. It provides a decent 98% field of view, at approximately 1.02x magnification. The diopter’s tucked away on the left side, and alters the focus from -3.0 to +1m^-1^.

The eyecup can be removed and replaced with other models, including a magnifier, available for purchase from Olympus. The compatible eyecups are the EP-5, 6 and 7. The EP-5 is the standard, the EP-6 and 7 are both larger and useful for people with glasses, and the magnifier is called the ME-1 (and will set you back around $40).

The E-30 also ships with an eye-piece cover, to prevent light leaks during long exposure work. Some higher end full-frame SLRs have a built-in iris to prevent any leakage, but it’s not something you generally find on a camera of this price point.

Display(s) (6.90)

The big drawback of the E-30 screen is its comparatively low resolution. On a point-and-shoot, 2.7’ and 230,000 pixels may be fine, this pales in comparison to the Nikon D90’s and Canon 50D’s 920,000-dot displays. The one major LCD advantage this camera does offer, though, is the way the screen is articulated, pivoting out from the camera body horizontally and rotating vertically. Coupled with the decent Live View system, this is an especially worthwhile feature. The ability to frame shots at awkward angles, while holding the camera above your head, or without needing to keep your eye squashed against the viewfinder provides lots of shooting freedom, and represents one of the few hardware advantages Olympus holds over its competitors.

The LCD is one of Olympus’ HyperCrystal II screens, which allow some light to pass through the outer layer, then bounce back, providing greater brightness in sunlight. The brightness of the screen can be set to 15 levels, and the color balance can likewise be tweaked to 15 steps You can control what’s shown on the LCD using the info button.

When using the quick menu, a huge amount of information is displayed. By using the four-way controller, you can navigate to any icon on the lower half of the screen and alter that setting.

Secondary Display

The monochrome LCD on the top of the camera is much like that you’d see on any other mid-range SLR. It shows all the salient details of your current mode, or any shooting controls you’re currently altering.

Connectivity (1.00)

The E-30 has two ports, one on the left side, and one just beneath the four-way controller. The left is for an external DC power adapter, should you chose to purchase one, and the one on the camera’s back is for a proprietary USB/AV cable. We’re not huge fans of proprietary connections. The cables have a tendency to be expensive to replace and hard to find. Also, when the USB cable is plugged in, the down arrow on the four-way controller is exceedingly difficult to press unless you have the hands of an elf.

Proprietary plugs are unnecessary for USB, but Olympus uses one anyway