With a price gap of about $500 between Olympus' consumer models and the E-3, Olympus has long had a pretty big hole in its dSLR lineup--a hole populated by extremely popular competitors such as the Nikon D90, the Canon EOS 40D, and the Canon EOS 50D. However, with the E-30, it looks as if Olympus enters the ring swinging. It has a host of attractions, including a 12-megapixel Live MOS sensor, articulating LCD, fun (if not terribly practical) Art Filters, sensor-shift image stabilization, and built-in 3-group wireless flash controller, plus very nice photo quality and fast performance. Like all of Olympus' dSLRs, the E-30 is based on the Four Thirds system, which combines sensors half the size of a frame of 35mm film and the same 4:3 aspect ratio with a standard lens mount. The resulting magnification factor is 2x, compared with 1.6x (Canon) and 1.5x (all others). As of this review, you can buy it in two "official" configurations: body only and in a kit with the 14-42mm (28-84mm equivalent) lens. I tested it with the consumer-grade Olympus 9-18mm f4-5.6 lens (18-36mm equivalent) and the higher-grade 12-60mm f2.8-4 SWD lens. My advice: If you're planning on spending more than $1,000 for a body, don't skimp on the lens; though a lot more expensive, the 12-60mm is far nicer and more flexible than the 14-42mm kit lens. On a side note, the lenses in general seem a bit noisy to me. The E-30 is similarly designed to the E-3 but makes some notable deviations. It lacks the complete dust and weather sealing of its older sibling, and in fact the chassis is made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic (the D90 is plastic as well). In contrast, the 50D has at least partial magnesium alloy construction. The E-30 nevertheless feels sturdy, comfortable to grip, and the lack of metal makes it a bit lighter: 1.7 pounds to the 50D's 1.9.

タグ: olympus, e-30, first, look