Olympus'
E-30 just recently began to hit store shelves after being announced last November, and the shutterbugs at
DigitalCameraReview have taken the liberty of critiquing it for all prospective buyers to see. The cam maintained the quirkiness that tends make an
Olympus, well, an Olympus, but when it came down to actual performance, the DSLR didn't disappoint... much, anyway. It should be noted that it couldn't hold a candle to the
D90 at ISO 3,200, so low-light fiends may want to look elsewhere. That aside, critics were more than pleased with the copious amount of features, the top-shelf focusing speed and the remarkable build quality. If it were priced a few hundies lower, it'd almost be a no-brainer, but with an asking price of around $1,300 at present time, it'll be hard to sway the eyes of those already focusing on another shooter. Have a look at the read link for a few sample shot comparisons and the full writeup.
posted January 24th 2009 1:29PM
Should I get this or an Alpha a200?
Get a D90
Your question should be "Should I get this or a D90 or a a200?" The D90 is a better price at least.
Wow, that's a price difference of $800 you're looking at. I'd recommend you look at more equals. On the other hand, I don't have a DSLR, so someone else would better answer your question.
K20D, no question. Or wait for the K30D
Buy a Canon EOS 50D if you can afford it. A camera pro told me dont buy the sony.
The a200 is probably just as good of a camera at over half the price (450 now w/ kitlens?) and the sony system is a lot more promising that any of the other second tier companies. The a700 is the same class as this camera and beats the hell out of it at high iso.
It doesn't matter, as long as it says Canon or Nikon on the side.
The Olympus E-510 or E-520 is a better camera to compare to the A200. The pricing is about the same as well.
@Alpinerover
The e520 may be more feature rich overall for the price, but it does come with the same trade off as all 4:3 cameras: The smaller sensor, which doesn't perform as well at high ISO. That's something that should obviously be balanced against all other factors when deciding on which system to get.
Sony A200 is a $450 camera, the Olympus E-30 is $1,300.
The Sony A700 which is around $1,000 is probably a closer competitor to the E-30 (Incidentally, the A700, Nikon D90, and Nikon D300 use the same Sony CMOS sensor). The A200 uses the same Sony 10MP CCD sensor as in the Nikon D40/D60/D80/Pentax K200). Go with whatever fits your price and your preference on system.
Seriously, look at a K20D and a pentax FA 50 1.4. It's probably the best bargain out there at the moment.
iPhone.
get a pentax k20d ...
Wait till you see what one of these can do with a Leica 4/3 lens...small sensor be damned.
the pictures from the olympus looked underexposed. i'd wait for dpreview's review.
Go Oly go! I loved my E-300 and now I love my E-510... very tempted to get this new iteration.... the color is what attracted me the most to Oly... I used top-shelf Canon's and Nikons, but something about Oly keeps me coming back.
I think the E510 is great too... I snagged it on Amazon for 600 with the excellent kit lens and telephoto. Now I'm just waiting for them to update the E-3 model...
Why all DSLR cameras look like old "Analog" film cameras (with a film shape body)?
because it works, and works well.
Don't fix something that isn't borked.
because they took the slr and just made it digital.
Because they still need a mirror box and optical viewfinder chamber. That's what makes them d"SLRs". And they still have to be ergonomic as well.
I've wondered the same thing. They're all pretty fugly.
Remember folks, camera bodies come and go, its the lenses that count!
Zuiko glass, which is what Olympus uses, its some of finest available.
In body stabilization has its merits too. Think of this, every time you upgrade your camera body with its latest sensor shift system, all of your lenses benefit from the upgrade as well! The only downside is that you don't see the effect through the viewfinder. (I think this is only important for sports shooters as the camera shake at 300mm plus is probably nasty!)
I just wish Olympus would work on their FPS rate. 5 is really mediocre now a days. They should be able to do it too since the 4/3s sensor is smaller and therefore more easy to move. If the E-5 comes out with 15FPS +, I would be impressed, but I know it is not going to happen.
I believe Four Thirds is also limited in life, Olympus will do better with MicroFourThirds, but until then, LONG LIVE OLYMPUS!
Honestly, its crazy how happy I am to hear that Engadget is promoting Oly...and you have everything right about Oly glass... I still use old Oly glass (50mm) that I used waay back when I used my OM-1...the quality is unsurpassed to this day. This makes me want to go back to film for a bit... oh hell who am I kidding digital is amazing and with the adapter I can use my family of Oly lenses!
But the sensor isn't what moves...err, except for stabilization. Framerate on a dSLR is an issue of how quickly you can cycle the reflex mirror and focal plane shutter.
It would already appear that µ4:3 can deliver on the original promise of smaller systems. The issue now is whether they can grab enough of a market share before the big three... Nikon, Canon and Sony... decide to release their own mirror-less digital interchangeable lens systems.
These days camera bodies are just as(or more) important then lenses.
Back in the film days, the lens was important because the medium you shot on (film) was the same regardless of the camera body and quality was directly proportional to glass. Today, the general quality and standard of lenses are very high and the bigger differentiator of quality is the sensor.
This joke, not a review. Even me - total n00b with E-520 and kit zoom 14-42 - can make better photos.
If you want some better photos -
http://fourthirds-user.com/2008/12/first_olympus_e30_review_image_samples_to_download.php
- some folks had a chance to shoot with E-30. Gives much better idea what E-30 is capable of. Hit "Forums" to check what some who used think about it.
I think DPReview folks would take their time to make a review, yet generally it is worth waiting.
@alpinerover
the 510 and 520 have super autofocus issues.
The Zuiko prime lenses are phenomenal and worth paying for this over the, ok, E30.
@Rifter...
Seriously, just because of a name on a product you buy it, how pathetic.
@Sinsaer
Nope, you buy it because Canon and Nikon are the market leaders. I have a bunch of books, I watch Travels to the edge... do you know what they ALL have in common? The authors run Canon or Nikon bodies and glass.
When Tamron comes out with new glass, do they produce it for the Sony or Olympus first? No, the produce it for the Canon and Nikon platform first. There is REALLY good, healthy competition between these two brands, which keeps quality high, and prices relatively low. Some of the best glass available is from Canon and Nikon.
Go with what the pros use. You will find more 3rd party equipment, more first party equipment, more experience and support on your model of camera. There are a TON of reasons to go with the leaders.
The simple answer was go with Canon or Nikon, and I was meaning it in a sort of tongue in cheek sort of manner... but the truth is, you want to go with one of those, because they are BY FAR the market leaders.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryfter/2979418988/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryfter/3136303787/
@ Sinsaer
I drive along a lot of roads, I watch a lot of people driving, you know what they have in common? Seems like most everyone uses a GM or a Ford.
When a third party accessories maker comes out with a new part, do they roduce it for BMW or Lexus first?No they produce it for Chevy first or Ford first, healthy competition between these two brands, which keeps quality high, and prices relatively low.
You will find more 3rd party equipment, more first party equipment, more experience and support on your model of car. Heck any gas station mechanic can fix your car, any Rose or Advantage Autoparts carry your parts.
Why would anyone buy a BMW or a Lexus. Who cares if they are better, let's just follow the crowd.
The Olympus E-30 is an amazing DLSR. We have it here since 6 days. It's faster than E-520, has much better results, fantastic options and feels more professional than the smaller E-System cameras. Price was 1050 EUR for the body.
If you have registered an older E-System DSLR at Olympus website you can profit of Olympus's E-30 promotion: great value!
I own a Olympus OM-1. This camera has a brilliant lens. Would be interesting to see if how good the lens is...
I'd only buy non Nikon/Canon DSLR in one of two cases
1. I'm already invested in other system (lenses mainly)
2. I have a strong specific need for hinged LCD screen (which, for some reason, both Nikon and Canon stay away from)
http://dprdb.herokugarden.com/public/manufacturers/Olympus
Otherwise, I don't think the slight difference in price justifies going with a brand which isn't as popular as Nikon and Canon - this popularity has many advantages to you as a camera owner - a larger selection of accessories, ease of obtaining replacecement parts (think LiIon battery when the original battery runs flat), repair labs around the globe if you travel...
I had the GLOD malfunction in my Nikon D70 two years after purchase, being able to follow the phenomena on various online forum, and finally see Nikon publish the service note, then getting the body repaired for no charge, is something I think would be hard to find in non-popular cameras (don't tell me non-popular cameras don't break, they do, it's just that no one hears or cares about it except the poor lad that owns the camera)
@ Sinsaer
I drive along a lot of roads, I watch a lot of people driving, you know what they have in common? Seems like most everyone uses a GM or a Ford.
When a third party accessories maker comes out with a new part, do they roduce it for BMW or Lexus first?No they produce it for Chevy first or Ford first, healthy competition between these two brands, which keeps quality high, and prices relatively low.
You will find more 3rd party equipment, more first party equipment, more experience and support on your model of car. Heck any gas station mechanic can fix your car, any Rose or Advantage Autoparts carry your parts.
Why would anyone buy a BMW or a Lexus. Who cares if they are better, let's just follow the crowd.
Great article. I thought everyone would want to see a video of 10 University of the Arts photography students using Olympus Digital SLRs with In-Camera Creative Functions – Art Filters, Multiple Exposure, Multi-Aspect shooting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5aL6-k9NnA
Video says that there’s a Get Olympus group in Facebook with student outtakes showing what the images look like. Just joined.