Olympus Announces E-30 Digital SLR
by Wesley Fink on November 6, 2008 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
CENTER VALLEY, Pa., November 5, 2008 – Through the centuries, legendary artists have expressed their individuality by relying on active imaginations and keen eyes to produce artistic masterpieces that alter reality to reveal a profound truth or feeling. The Olympus E-30 digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera is a powerful tool that takes the art of photography to new creative heights by offering the artistic freedom to capture what you see in your mind’s eye, not just what you see through the camera lens.
Like a brush stroking color across a blank white canvas, the E-30 delivers instant artistic gratification. Its ease of use and power to transform the everyday into something artistic will appeal to painters, graphic designers, illustrators and Web designers, those with an eye for fashion and artists from all walks of life, not just photographers. New Art Filters and Multiple Exposure change how we create images, unleashing a digital imaging experience unlike any other that produces striking works of art inside the camera without the need for costly computer image editing software.
E-30 Rounds Out Robust E-System DSLR Lineup
The E-30 fits in the spectrum of the E-System lineup above the E-520 as a mid-range advanced DSLR, while the E-3 remains at the top as the flagship Olympus DSLR. Beyond the new Art Filters and Multiple Exposure function, the E-30 delivers the same high-precision performance and imaging quality demanded by professional photographers who use the E-3, as well as the consumer-friendly features found on the E-520, and several new surprises all its own.
As with all Olympus DSLRs, the new camera provides advanced Dust Reduction and in-body mechanical Image Stabilization so that every Four Thirds lens is stabilized. The new camera also offers TruePic III+ Image Processor and Full Time Autofocus Live View. These features are coupled with a new 12.3-megapixel high-speed Live MOS image sensor to capture breathtaking images.
Adding to the line of Four Thirds-compliant lenses, the ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 II is also being announced today. It boasts high-speed Imager AF support for Live View shooting and a circular aperture mechanism for higher imaging performance. A versatile 28-108mm equivalent zoom range makes the new lens an ideal choice in a wide range of shooting situations, enabling users to enjoy the exaggerated perspective of wide angle shooting while providing telephoto power to zoom in for close-ups.
We Are the Visual Generation
The visual tastes of people of all ages are growing more refined as a result of art cinema and movies, music videos, television, video games, magazines, the Internet and online videos created in a wide array of visual styles. More distinct and artistic visuals are appearing everywhere, and the bar for creative images has been raised higher.
“The E-30 is the camera for people who are not content to simply capture and document a scene, but rather enjoy enhancing or customizing an image to make it their own,” said John Knaur, senior marketing manager, Digital SLR, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “The camera’s Art Filters and Multiple Exposure capabilities enable incredible individual artistic control over an image within the camera, in many cases eliminating the need for time spent applying image effects in the computer. Additionally, it delivers the same proven image quality of our E-System DSLR line.”
Art Filters Make Your Vision Come to Life
New to the E-30 is technology that conveniently helps photographers transform a basic image that faithfully represents the scene into an image that carries emotional impact. Olympus recognizes that some of the most iconic images ever captured were intentionally altered through exposures to render contrast beyond normal levels, or are alive with saturated colors or the gritty graininess of film. All have wonderful artistic merit.
The new Art Filters take this capability to a higher level, replicating these dramatic effects as you shoot using the Autofocus Live View LCD:
Ø Pop Art: Enhances colors, making them more saturated and vivid, creating high-impact pictures that express the joyful, lighthearted feeling of the Pop Art style of the 1960s.
Ø Soft Focus: Creates an ethereal, otherworldly atmosphere that renders subjects in a heavenly light without obscuring details.
Ø Pale & Light Color: Encloses the foreground of an image in flat gentle light and pastel colors reminiscent of a flashback scene in a movie.
Ø Light Tone: Renders shade and highlight areas softly to lend an elegant air to the subject.
Ø Grainy Film: Evokes the feeling of documentary footage shot in monochrome with grainy, high-contrast film.
Ø Pin Hole: Reduces the peripheral brightness of an image as though it were shot through a pin hole, connecting the viewer intimately with the subject at the center of the picture.
Art Filters are easily activated via the mode dial on the left side of the camera body, and the effects are viewable right on the new camera’s 100 percent accurate swivel 2.7-inch Live View HyperCrystal™ LCD when using the E-30 in Live View mode or when reviewing the captured image.
Multiple Exposures Create Something Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
With the new camera’s Multiple Exposure function it is possible to alter space and time by combining images shot in different locations and moments, lending your photos another dramatic dimension. For instance, take one shot of the full moon with the E-30 and the image will appear on the camera’s LCD. Then take another shot while the moon still appears on the LCD and superimpose a close-up of an owl perched on a tree branch. The two images will merge together seamlessly to form one dramatic image that has the haunting effect of a Halloween night.
Or take a self-portrait posing far away from the camera, and then another close-up shot to capture you and your “identical twin” both in sharp focus. Wedding photographers can capture an image of newlyweds posing together and then overlay a portrait of the blushing bride and a shot of the sunset to create a lasting wedding memory. The creative possibilities are endless and only limited by your imagination. The E-30 can combine up to four images in a single photograph, overlaying various subjects to create a montage that blends all the elements together. Thanks to the new TruePic III+ Image Processor you are able to accurately compose, capture and combine your images on the fly directly on the camera’s LCD.
Digital Leveler
The E-30 is equipped with an internal Digital Level Sensor that detects the camera’s pitch and roll and indicates it in the optical viewfinder, on the control panel and during Live View operation. This Digital Leveler is a tremendous benefit for architectural photographers who must ensure that images they take of buildings are as centered and true as the walls of the buildings themselves. Rather than spend time rotating an image in computer software, you can use the new camera’s Digital Leveler to make sure your subjects are where they should be in the frame.
Superior Image Quality
The new camera’s high-performance 12.3-megapixel Live MOS image sensor delivers excellent dynamic range, accurate color fidelity and a state-of-the-art amplifier circuit to eradicate noise and capture fine image details in both highlight and shadow areas.
Its Live MOS image sensor is complemented by Olympus’ TruePic III+ Image Processor that produces crystal-clear photos using all the pixel information for each image to provide the best digital images possible with accurate natural color, true-to-life flesh tones, brilliant blue skies and precise tonal expression in between. TruePic III+ also lowers image noise in images shot at higher ISO settings, enabling great results in low-light situations.
Two Fast Autofocus Systems
Ø Fast Autofocus with AF Live View – When it comes to measuring camera speed, autofocus is a key factor. If a camera’s AF system does not meet photographers’ demands and lock focus accurately and quickly, they will miss shots regardless of the camera’s shot-to-shot speed or start-up time. Thanks to the new 14-54mm II lens with high-speed Imager AF, shooting with Live View is faster than ever – a key element in utilizing the new camera’s art filters. AF accuracy is further ensured by precise 11 point imager AF with the 12.3 megapixel Live MOS sensor; and
Ø Phase Detection AF – This 11 point twin cross sensor provides world-class fast and accurate focusing. The E-30 takes advantage of the SWD lens speed. The alignment of the optical axis from the lens to the AF phase detection sensors combined with accurate mounting of the sensors within the AF unit delivers accurate and fast focusing.
Swivel Live View LCD: Freedom to Move You
Unlike others with fixed LCDs, the new camera’s 100 percent accurate 270 degree swivel 2.7-inch Live View HyperCrystal™ LCD can be rotated freely so photographers can compose at tough angles, including overhead and down low, without feeling like a contortionist. Because Live View enables an E-30 photographer to communicate face-to-face with subjects and still have everything in the frame with the camera body out of the way, an encouraging smile or wink of the eye can be used with a shy or nervous subject to get the desired results.
During composition, settings like white balance and exposure can be selected, and their impact is seen instantly on the LCD, thanks to Live View. Real-time monitoring offers amazing versatility and creative control. The LCD displays 230,000 pixels in vivid color and includes HyperCrystal technology, which offers many times the contrast of conventional LCD monitors for easier viewing in both preview and playback. It also provides a wide viewing angle of 176 degrees, which ensures images can be composed from even the most obscure angles. The 2.7-inch LCD makes viewing icons and text on the camera’s menu a squint-free process.
Multi-Aspect Ratio Shooting
Since photography is a form of expression that is essentially based on clipping a scene, framing is an important component of style. The E-30 provides nine aspect ratios including the standard 4:3, as well as 16:9 for impressive, cinematic-style images, and 6:6, which is available with medium format cameras, plus 3:2, 5:4, 7:6, 6:5, 7:5 and 3:4. By selecting the aspect ratio before shooting and easily reviewing images on the LCD throughout the shoot, the Multi-Aspect function adds a new means of expression to your photography.
As with all Olympus E-System DSLRs, the E-30 offers the following features:
- Face Detection recognizes up to eight faces;
- Shadow Adjustment Technology controls highlights and shadow exposure automatically;
- Perfect Shot Preview shows how various settings will enhance the image before actually capturing it;
- Wireless Flash System provides control for multiple wireless flashes (FL50R or FL36R) without needing an external commander unit;
- Large Optical Viewfinder offers 98 percent field of view and 1.02 x magnification; and
- Proven Dust Reduction with SSWF (Super-Sonic Wave Filter) system cleans the tiniest particles of dust and dirt for spot-free images.
Availability
The Olympus E-30 DSLR will be available in January 2009. It includes E-30 Body, USB Cable, Video Cable, Li-Ion Battery Pack (BLM-1), Li-Ion Battery Charger (BCM-2), Shoulder Strap, OLYMPUS Master 2 Software CD-ROM, Manuals and Registration card. The ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 II lens will also be available in January 2009.
U.S. Pricing / Product Configurations
E-30 Body Estimated Street Price: $1,299
ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 II lens Estimated Street Price: $599
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Maxington - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
"Unique features of the E-30 include multiple-exposure capability, a Digital Leveler that will be particularly useful for architectural photography, and art filters for getting creative with the image."Does this mean unique in the Olympus linup? The digital leveler seems fairly unique, I don't get what's so unique about the other two features, unless they are a lot different than they sound.
I still feel that the sensor is what holds Olympus back. I like their bodies, the optics, but I can't bring myself to buy a worse performing sensor. And their DSLR's aren't even smaller to match the sensor!
Bring on micro 4/3rds and I'll take another look.
Wesley Fink - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
Multiple Exposure as implemented on the E-30 is fairly rare in Digital SLRs. The Fuji Sx Pro and higher Nikon models offer that feature but we don't recall seeing it elsewhere.Of course you can create multiple exposure type images in Photoshop using layers and manual exposure adjustments for the layers to achieve a useful final exposure.
A Digital Leveler is featured on the D3 and D700 Nikon full-frame DSLRs but we are not aware of other cameras featuring this.
The Art Filters are fairly unique. These are a great deal more than Sepia-tone or B&W, as you can see in the Art Filter list in the Press Release on page 2. If readers are aware of other DSLRs with these features please let us know.
Maxington - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
Pentax K10D and K20D could blend multiple exposures in camera, though it looks like Olympus have extended that quite a bit.I suppose Olympus have extended the art filters as well, but still, that is kind of a gimmick.
Personally I'd do all that in post processing, pretty much anyone I know with a DSLR wouldn't edit a thing in-camera.
I hope Olympus keeps going on micro cameras, not more DSLRs which I think are finding it difficult to compete in todays market.
computerfarmer - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
With the same sensor as the Panasonic G1 and $500 more and many posts on this site have said the G1 was over priced. I hope I am missing something here.7thSerapHim - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
For the E-30 to compete with the D90 & 50D, it needs to be priced competitively.Olympus needs to do some major advertising as well!
Wesley Fink - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
It is my opinion that the actual selling price of the E-30 should be somewhere around $999 to do well in the marketplace. This would be about the same as the D90 and a great deal less than the Canon 50D.While Olympus has announced a $1299 price, the $1699 E-3 is actually selling for around $1399, and one major vendor even advertises $1299. If the E-30 is similarly discounted after introduction then we might see it selling for around $1000 - or even less.
The features and specifications of the E-30 are certainly on target this time, but the market changes fast and adds new features at lightning speed. If the Live View AF is as good as Olympus/Panasonic claim that may influence more buyers to take a serious look at the E-30. The E-3 AF module and tilt-swivel LCD will also turn a few heads.
The Olympus optics are generally superb, and we are very interested in seeing if 12.3 MP can provide competitive low-noise performance when we finally get our hands on a shipping E-30.
Hulk - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
"a great deal less"The 50d is $1199 on B&H.
That only $200 difference.
teldar - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
This sounds like it could be a pretty nice camera. I was thinking there needed to be something between the 520 and the higher end models, and this sounds like it fits the bill perfectly. It'll just have to be a decision between this and the Pentax K20. Unless canon actually comes out with inbody stabilization....Calin - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
This (if working correctly) would be great - not once I've took pictures that were not straight, due to my reliance of the perceived verticality of a wall on the side of the picturemelgross - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
With Canon having a bit of noise problems at higher ISO's with the new 50D 15 MP sensor model, I wonder how this will fare with its much smaller sensor.Also I'm surprised that with other companies going to high resolution LCD's, they stuck with a low resolution version.
Normally it didn't matter. But with Live View in new cameras, it means a lot for focussing. Otherwise, there is more magnifying of the image than would be required with a high rez screen, which means more manipulation of the controls, and time taken.
Otherwise, this looks like a nice model.