Olympus E-30

The Olympus E-30 ($1,299.99 list, body only) has enough nifty features to turn heads—most notably, offering the capability to add Photoshop-like effects and merge four images into one on the fly. But is that enough? While its images are sharp when light is strong, shots in dimmer environments and at higher ISOs are not as impressive. The competitively priced Nikon D90 ($999.95 direct, body only) does a much better job in similar situations, as does the Editors' Choice entry-level Canon EOS Rebel XSi ($699 direct, body only).

The E-30 measures 4.25 by 5.57 by 2.95 inches (HWD), about the same as most digital SLRs. It's a bit on the heavy side, though: The body alone weighs 1.67 pounds, and with a 14mm-to-54mm lens (about $500) it's a hefty 2.6 pounds. Though slightly smaller than competing screens on the Pentax K2000 and Canon Rebel XSi (both 3 inches), the E-30's 2.7-inch screen is a little more high-tech in that it has an extendable arm that can swing out for different views—similar to that on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1. With its many dials, buttons, and switches, the E-30 put its shooting modes and features right at your fingertips. Like most current D-SLR cameras, it uses the go-to Four Thirds lens mount, so you'll have no trouble swapping out lenses.

I use the Imatest hardware and software suite to provide an objective assessment of key image-quality variables. As Imatest showed, the E-30 shines in terms of sharpness: At its sharpest f-stop (f/5.6), the E-30 averaged 2,059 lines per picture height, which is slightly better than the Canon EOS 50D's 1,922, and about 20 percent sharper than the Nikon D90's 1,710. With the ISO sensitivity increased to 400, the E-30 maintained its edge. At ISO 800, though, all the cameras were more or less evenly matched.

The E-30 did not perform well when it came to noise. To test these levels, I take pictures of an X-Rtie ColorChecker at each of the camera's ISO settings and then use Imatest to measure the amount of noise. Across all ISOs, 100 to 3200, the Nikon D90 and Canon 50D were able to keep noise to 1.1 percent or less. The E-30 did not keep pace: At ISO 800 it was already at 1.3 percent noise, and at ISO 3200 it was at 2.7 percent—enough to produce a picture two and a half times noisier than that of the competition. (Even the more affordable Canon XSi and Pentax K2000 produced less noise at high ISOs.) Like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, the E-30 uses a Live MOS sensor, which tends to be plagued by major noise spikes at ISO 1600 and 3200; competing cameras from Canon and Nikon use a CMOS) sensor and produce less overall noise, in my experience.

Aside from its image-quality issues, the E-30 is one quick camera. The shutter-lag test from Shooting Digital indicated that the camera took at an average of 1.22 seconds to turn on, focus, and take its first picture. When powered on but out of focus, the E-30 was able to focus and snap a picture in just 0.77 second; in focus, the camera was able to shoot in 0.3 second. The E-30's scores are comparable to those of the Nikon D90, which takes about the same time to focus and shoot; when in focus, though, the Nikon shoots in just 0.2 second. In continuous-shooting mode, the E-30 takes about five shots per second.

On an unseasonably warm and sunny February day in New York City, I took the E-30 to the roof deck of my apartment building for a test shoot. Everything from people to small brick details came out crisp when I was shooting at lower ISOs. At ISO 800, however, plenty of noise showed up and made images grainy; things got even hairier at ISO 1600 and 3200.

Possibly the biggest lure of the Olympus E-30 is that it can pull off a few Photoshop-esque effects, such as "pop art," "soft focus," "pale-and-light color," "light tone," "grainy film," and "pinhole." Most of the effects take about 5 seconds to process, so after you shoot the picture you have to wait a bit to see the finished product. In the end, though, the treated shots look great—better, in fact, than if you used the same effects in the Picasa free photo editor—and in case you don't like them, the originals are preserved. The E-30 can also merge four images together. (Check out the slideshow for some sample shots.)

There are a couple of things I wish Olympus had included in the E-30. First, a standard USB port—as it is, if you lose the included proprietary USB cable you'll have to order a new one, for about 10 bucks. Second, an HDMI-out to plug the camera directly into an HDTV. Not only do most new D-SLRs have an HDMI-out, but even point-and-shooters are starting to add them.

If you already own one or more Four Thirds lenses and are looking to upgrade your camera body, the Olympus E-30 could be a good fit. Its razor-sharp images in daylight are without compare, and its fun in-camera effects are a blast to play with. Its speed and sharpness might be ideal for capturing outdoor sports, but its noisy images in low-light conditions make me question whether its $1,300 price tag is justified. It's hard to recommend the E-30 over other D-SLRs we've tested recently—especially when you can get the Nikon D90, which performs better in low-light conditions and shoots (HD) video, for $300 less.

Source : http://www.pcmag.com