Olympus fills the E-520/E-3 gap with the E-30 DSLR
If you're looking for an Olympus DSLR but don't have the bank for a $1,499 E-3, yet couldn't be seen with a pedestrian $599 E-520, Olympus is about to fill your niche with the upcoming $1,299 E-30, a shooter that sits neatly betwixt the two in most stats despite actually having a higher megapixel sensor than either. (We all know that doesn't necessarily mean more quality, right?) Like its higher and lower cousins it too offers in-body image stabilization and Live View, borrowing the 2.7-inch LCD from the E-520 while snagging the 11-point auto-focus function from the E-3. It also nets a built-in level that displays roll and pitch, plus an integrated wireless flash receiver, making it sound very much like a prosumer model -- though it has enough consumery shooting modes like "Grainy Film" and "Pop Art" to make any would-be-photog cringe. Best of both worlds or unwanted offspring? We'll wait for the first round of reviews when it launches in January before being too judgmental.
Update: As it turns out crave was perhaps a wee bit premature in announcing the E-30, but it's all good now, as Olympus has made the cam officially official.
