Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

I use the camera daily. I bought it for the spot meter function and the ability to shoot rapidly. Both have turned out to be what I expected. I was worried the buttons would be hard to reach and confusing, but was pleased to find that they are well placed and easy to learn. The camera functions are customizable to fit my personal style and that is what is important in a camera.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

Let's begin with saying I am a retired Hasselblad photographer and since I can no longer justify keeping $100,000 + worth of equipment I won't use any longer I was looking for a point & shoot camera for everyday use. After researching & trying everything out there I was disappointed. I was looking for a camera that was easy to use, quick, has a viewfinder and took decent photos. I could not find a point & shoot that could deliver. And no! I don't expect Hasselblad quality photos from a point & shoot, but I do have some minimum standards and not one point& shoot delivered.I ended up buying the E-30 a DSLR instead.This camera does everything well. Right at the get-go I replaced the cheap [*] kit lens that came w/camera with the Japanese made Olympus 12-60mm. This lens is as good as they get at this price level. Along with the 50-200mm. This camera suits all of my needs.In auto mode the E-30 is just as quick and easy to use as any point & shoot but the photos are far superior. Plus, if you are actually a photographer you can do anything any good DSLR can do w/the E-30 and at a reasonable price.Out of the box I was doing point & shoot within 5 minutes. In auto mode you can turn it on and shoot in seconds. FAST!My only complaint is the owners manual is a pain to use. It will take about a month of constant use going from manual to camera for an experienced photographer to figure out how to take advantage of some of the features and to set preferences. An inexperienced photographer more.The camera is solid but a bit heavy for some. I like a camera with a little heft. I don't do a lot of low light photography without flash so the one weakness that Olympus is known for is not an issue for me.The bottom line is I am quite pleased w/E-30 w/12-60mm olympus lens. This is not a great camera but does everything well! And at a reasonable price. I would highly recommend this camera w/12-60mm Olympus lens to anyone who wants a very good all around camera that is fairly easy & quick to use. It takes very nice photos.CHEERS! to Olympus for making a nice all around camera at a reasonable price.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

After studying many different SLR cameras. I choose the Olympus E-30. Image stability in the body. Made for a more balanced camera. I've shot pictures hiking in Yosemite, on the sidelines of my grand daughters' soccer games, and around the Christmas tree. This camera takes amazing detailed photographs. Switching between my wide angle and telephoto zoom lenses is so easy.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

I spent a lot of time researching my options when I decided to upgrade from my E510. I wanted to stick with an Olympus as I had a couple of lenses already though I did look at the Canon and Nikon equivalents but there wasn't enough improvement/benefit to convince me to switch. I looked seriously at the E3 and then decided it was too pricey for me plus it was lacking the shooting modes that I use frequently. (While I'm trying to learn to shoot in manual more often I tend to rely on sports mode for shooting football and lacrosse so I don't miss the action!) It then came down to the 620 and the E30. I read all the reviews on this and other sites and was leaning towards the 620.

I was lucky enough to be able to visit the B&H store in November and was therefore able to compare the two cameras in hand, side by side. While I found the person working at the kiosk decidedly unhelpful (in fact, kind of surly) it was very helpful to me to be able to compare the cameras like that. The person working at the kiosk actually recommended the 620 saying he didn't think it was worth the extra money for the E30. However, after comparing I decided the E30 was worth it because of a few features that made the camera more user friendly. The 620 didn't offer enough of an upgrade for the money.

In order to evaluate my information consider the following:
--I'm only just learning the use the camera in something other than auto or a pre-set even though I've been using a DSLR for over two years.
--I primarily photograph high school and college sports and family events...not much of a nature photographer. While I take the HS pictures for other than my own family use I am by no means a professional!!
--other than cropping I don't do a lot of editing via software so I rely on getting what I want in the frame when I shoot.

Key upgrades/features for me:
--the info panel on top of the camera in a GREAT addition. Easily gives me key info without having to refer to the back of the camera. VERY key as I learn how to think in terms of ISO, shutter speed and aperture.
--the info in the view finder on the bottom is a MAJOR upgrade from my 510. Again, very important to someone learning to think in terms of those settings and the meter.
--love that the power switch was moved to back of the camera...I use to accidentally turn the camera off when I switched shooting modes with the placement on my 510.
--like that the mechanics of the opening of the card slot and battery compartment are better thought out. Prevents accidental opening while shooting which happened all too often with my 510.
--ISO button on top of the camera is handy.
--like the backlight button for the top lcd panel
--LOVE the articulating LCD screen... particularly as a protective feature when camera is in the bag.
--camera is solidly built and feels comfortable in my hands, though it is a bit heavier than my old camera.
--built in flash seems better in low light situations than the 510.
--dual card slots very handy when doing a lot of shooting with little time to switch cards.

Only complaints I have thus far:
--very different user interface from the E510 that is taking some getting used to
--dial to adjust exposure is farther away and more difficult to reach with finger on shutter button than in the 510. Maybe not as much of a problem for someone with larger hands and I'm sure I'll adjust and get used to it.

Overall I'd highly recommend this camera. If you are in a position to visit the B&H store in NYC I'd strongly recommend that as well as you have the ability to do hands on comparisons and generally the staff is very helpful, particularly the people working at the counters where you make your final selections. The guy there went through the camera with me and pointed out features and answered many questions. (as did the two guys on either side of me with other customers) There was absolutely NO hard sell and in fact my guy talked me out of purchasing something he said I would not use for the kind of shooting I regularly do.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

I owned an Olympus E500 and E520 DSLR and traded them in for the E30. The E30 is a big step-up from the prior two models and it improves on many of the short comings found in the earlier models.

The view finder is brighter and is a full view of the shot. 5 frames per second burst rate helps in sport photography and the increase in pixel count, 10 to 12.3 megs, allows more detail in the photgraphs taken.

The articulated LCD screen is wonderful and it rotates so that if you are in a crowd, shooting overhead shots are easy!

Last the setup is the same as the E500 and E520. I had the E30 setup and running in less than 30 minutes.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

Have used this camera for 2 weeks to take pictures of plants & flowers mostly. When I showed friends the beautiful printed pictures they asked me what kind of camera I have and I proudly said "OLYMPUS"! I am very happy with this E-30 and am happy with all the Olympus cameras I own.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

I think it's a really great camera. It's art filters are awesome and it's definitely a new treasure.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

I upgraded to the E-30 from the E-500. I gave my wife my e-500 as I wouldnt gotten what i wanted for it as an exchange. I initialy was looking at the e620 but am glad i purchased the e30. The e30 does more and is constructed better than the e620. I cant wait to take pictures of the moon with the tilt lcd screen. The small lcd ontop is handy for checking shutter speed and apeture without powering on the big lcd in front. The in body image stabilizer is cool. You dont have to worry about purchasing lenses with that option. There is an option for an on screen level which is cool as well as the on screen grid. Its an awsome camera.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

I use this camera primarily for wedding photography

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

The is an addition to an Olympus Evolt-500 used for sports photography. The quality of photos shot with the 70-300mm and 50-200mm lenses is excellent. The additional speed in frames per second when used with a high speed storage media allows excellent coverage of high speed action.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

The things I like:
"Olympus Blue"
"Built-in 5 level Anti shack system"
"Nice overall build quality"
"Up to 150000 times shutter life"
"Sharp! even JPEG file"
"Very convenient swivel LCD"
"Great combination with ZD Lens"
"Good capability with manual lens"

The things I don't like:
"No Video Recording"
"Higher ISO noise than APS-C models"

Overall: 9/10
Highly recommended!

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

Update from old camera-Olympus 5060. Used for art/travel hobby photography. Photos much clearer. Camera heavier for much more stable shooting. More shooting options. Also more to learn. Camera larger, so buttons, menus, diopters, etc. further apart and some inconvenient to reach and use. I miss the more drastic wide/zoom lens of 5060 for more artistic shots. However, shots are much clearer and more stable. Like the large LCD but the top swivel on the 5060 was much easier to manipulate quickly. Uses up the battery twice as quickly. Of course, with finer quality photos, uses more memory but that's expected.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

Added the E-30 as a 2nd body to go along with my E-510, 14-54mm and 50-200mm lenses. Very happy with the articulating lcd and improved user interface.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

The camera is used to photograph rescued dogs for [@] where My wife and I do volunteer work, we upgraded from The Olympus E300, which allowed us to utilize our other lenses and equipment.We like the Olympus for it's light weight and robust construction, which is ideal for photograping pups that won't sit still.To date the camera has performed extremely well, a big improvement on the E300.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

I have earned a nice supplemental income from pictures taken with my Olympus C8080 so naturally when I moved up to an SLR I chose Olympus. I am very satisfied with the quality, features, and images from the E-30.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

Just a good feel to the camera. Good functionality and easy to use.

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

This is generally a good all around camera. Good color saturation, fast auto-focus, and nicely shaped body that fits in large hands easily. Weather-sealing would have been nice but you have to choose your weapons to suit your battle! Fits nicely into mine!

Comments about Olympus E-30 SLR Digital Camera with 14-42mm ED Zoom Lens:

Upgraded from an Olympus E1. Key features I was looking for were improved auto focus (both speed and low light performance), image stabilization, live view, articulated screen and increased resolution.

Has exceeded my expectations with all these features, particularly the auto focus performance.