Olympus E30 12.3MP Digital SLR with Image Stabilization (Body Only)
- 12.3-megapixel Live MOS imager for photo-quality prints up to 30 x 40 inches
- Body only; lenses sold separately
- 6 Art Filters; enjoy photographs that ordinarily require the use of special lenses, add-on filters, or the use of complex processing techniques
- 270-degree Swivel 2.7-inch HyperCrystal II LCD; Autofocus Live View with Face Detection
- Dual card slot; compatible with UDMA-Type I, Type II, MicroDrive and xD Media Cards (not included)
The Olympus E-30 is the newest addition to the interchangeable-lens digital SLRs (single lens reflex) within the Olympus E-System lineup. This new 12.3-megapixel, FourThirds-compliant camera reinforces the company’s commitment to the standard. Positioned as a mid-level model, this new digital SLR camera is intended for anyone who wants to express their creativity through photography, whether they are just starting out or are a professional with years of experience behind them. The E-30 is a camera that has the speed of the E-3 and the freedom to express oneself with a variety of new creative features, from Art Filters that will let you control the way the image looks from a grainy black and white film to exaggerated colors. From the ability to shoot traditional multiple exposures in Live View for a wedding photographer, to the untraditional multiple exposure of the artistic, the E-30 is the camera for the creative shooter who wants to think differently and shoot in new ways.
List Price: $ 999.99
Price: $ 999.99
Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens for Minolta and Sony SLR Cameras
- Optimized for use with digital SLR cameras
- Multi-layer lens coating and lens design reduces flare and ghosting
- Minimum focusing distance is 37.4 inches at all zoom settings
- Features 14 lens elements in 10 Groups
- High-performance lens ideal for portraits, sports photography, nature photography
CL) INT) 70-300MM F4-5.6 MIN APO SUPThe Sigma APO 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG Macro Lens for Minolta Digital SLR Cameras is a telephoto zoom lens with tele-macro functionality. Optimized for digital cameras, this high-performance lens has two Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements in the front lens group and one in the rear lens group. It is able to shoot with maximum magnification 1:2 at the focal length of 300 millimeters. It’s the ideal lens for portraits, sports photography, nature photography, and other types of photography that frequently use the telephoto range. The multi-layer lens coating and lens design reduce flare and ghosting, which is a common problem with digital cameras, and it also creates an optimum color balance through the entire zoom range. High optical performance is demonstrated throughout the entire zoom range. The lens features a switch that converts the lens to macro photography at focal lengths between 200 millimeters and 300 millimeters, with a minimum focusin
List Price: $ 239.00
Price: $ 239.00
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The best lens in this price range…hands down.,
First of all I must tell you that I was dragged kicking and screaming into the world of digital SLR photography. Not because I had a love of film on the contrary I hate film photography, it was more like I hated the thought of lugging around lenses and all the other stuff. I managed to build my business and reputation using fixed lens “Pro-sumer” cameras. Long story short what made me move to SLRs was performance, speed, quality and lenses like this one.If you have ever read any of my other reviews you already know I am a terrible gear head and often tend to trick out my cameras to the hilt! I was buying lenses for a rebel XT when I bought this lens on a whim. To start 70-300mm is nothing earth shaking every lens maker in the business has at least one model in this range, but the real kicker with the Sigma is the macro feature, that in a word is simply amazing. The macro feature can be switched in at 200-300mm and is tack sharp for everything from flowers, to coins to whatever!! And considering the focal range this is a relatively fast lens. In a normal capacity its dead sharp in all applications no matter what your light conditions inside or out. I have even used this lens for wedding portraits and got great results. As with all Sigma lenses the build quality is excellent as is the glass giving it the feel of a lens costing a whole lot more. As for accessories I would reccomend both a UV filter as well as a good CPL. Size wise it is what I would rate medium sized (as opposed to my Sigma 50-500mm) this makes it easy to manipulate and use in the field. If you are a Nikon user remove the lens hood and you will get amazing results using your pop-up flash! (Canon doesn’t do as well with this.)
Now. If you are into pictures of the great outdoors the next thing I would add is a 2x teleconverter, Sigma claims this lens is not compatable with them and in a sense its not. But if you are willing to manually focus, and adjust the F stops your self you can pump this baby up to a 140-600mm super-telephoto!! I have one of these lenses for both of the SLR’s I use (Canon 20D & Nikon D200) and with both using the teleconverter I do have to focus manually but they will meter light! Be prepared however results may be different on your camera. So bottom line is your looking for a great quality lens at a price you can live with? This is it. Are you a new or about to be new digital SLR user? This should be your first lens no question. Canon and Nikon lenses do focus faster and quieter, but what are you doing with that camera that you need to be so fast and quiet anyway? This lens is on either one or both of my cameras all the time, and when you shoot pictures for a living that says alot. Until next time be well and happy shooting!
SiNMiN
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|Good telephoto lens if you’re on a tight budget,
I disagree with Jeff Kershaw’s review for the older version of this lens (Sigma 70-300mm APO Super), in that it’s very unfair to compare this lens to a L series lens, as those lens start at over $500 due to it’s very specific high-grade optics manufacturing process. To compare this lens to a lens that starts at over 4X the price is like comparing a Honda Civic to a Porsche. Like the civic, this Sigma lens is well rounded, good for beginner and consumer SLR photographers, and maybe some “pro-sumer” on a tight budget, or even students. For the price, this lens is a bargain, as I’ve been doing a lot of research before buying this lens (price range in the $130-225 for telephoto). What I liked most about this is the APO lenses, which prevent reflection inside the lens which creates “ghosting” (inverted light ghostly shadow that appers on your image) which is usually apparent in nightshots. During the day APO lenses decrease those “purple fuzzies” (chromatic aberration) you see against high contrast (like a bird’s wing against the sky). Granted this lens is no Porsche like the Canon L series, but for the price range, may hit the spot for some folks. I mainly use this camera for macro photography and taking photos of the Empire state building from my roof, which is 24 blocks away. This lens is definitely better quality than the Canon 75-300 USM III f/4-5.6 which is usually considered the benchmark for this price range telephoto.
Also note that there are different versions of these lenses (despite close naming), so be careful about what you buy. The is a APO DG version with Macro specifically made for digital SLRs which is what is listed here (the “official” name of this lens is: 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG Macro), and a non APO version of this lens which is a bit cheaper (but not worth it at all). Also there’s ones listed as APO II which is the “older” version, which I don’t know the quality of, but know that it is older than the model listed here.
Summary: If you’re on a tight budget this is as good as it gets in this price bracket. The next tier where there’s significant gains in lens imaging doesn’t even start until you start spending in $600-1800 range.
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|A Welcome Addition to the E-System Lineup,
As an early adopter of the E-500 and it’s quality kit lenses, I’ve had my eye on the flagship, tank-like E-3 as my next Oly body. Then the announcement in November that Olympus was set to introduce a mid-range camera that built on many of the successes from both the E-5X0 and the E-3. Having mulled over the decision for two months, reading every review, watching every video and scrutenizing the owners manual I pulled the trigger on the E-30 with the 14-42mm “standard grade” kit lens. Tough decision to make with the E-3 body’s selling for the same price as the E-30! What ultimately convinced me was the E-30 offered everything I loved about the E-3 in a slightly smaller package.
First impressions:
Feels great in hand! Good weight distribution, nice balance. Bright beautiful, viewfinder – huge improvement over the E-4X0 and E-5X0 models. LCD has excellent contrast and renders colors accurately. Back lit top panel display is easy to read. Faster focus in hybrid live view than I expected. Shutter is a bit metallic but not intrusive.
Pros:
Live view for checking focus in macro and composing cityscape’s at night.
Articulating screen for getting shots on or near the ground.
SSWF “battle-tested” dust removal system.
Image stabilized body that works with all FourThirds lenses.
Built-in leveler that detects pitch and roll to help snap straighter shots.
Cons:
xD card slot is a waste of space and should be replaced with SDHC.
I could do without the “creative filters”. Some may find them interesting.
The 14-42 kit lens included is nothing to write home about. Feels a bit toyish but responds well on the E-30 and is very lightweight.
My early impressions aside, everybody has different needs for a camera/system, the E-30 feels right at home with how I shoot. Let your style/needs dictate the tools you use.
Availability is still patchy as of late January 2009. Mine shipped from Adorama (helpful, fast) and there are several “package deals” from other Amazon vendors which offer the venerable Olympus Zuiko 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Digital ED SWD Lens for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras and Olympus FL-50R Electronic Flash for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras along with the E-30 body.
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|Initial thoughts after a week with the E-30,
After owning an Olympus E-510 for 8 months I had been looking forward to an upgrade to the E-3. When Olympus announced the new E-30 in November the upgrade waters became a little muddied. I poured over the differences between the E-3 and the E-30 and then waited for some of the initial Olympus reviews to come out. I further waited to hear from the more well known internet Olympus users and bloggers to see what they had to say. After all, they were used to shooting Olympus and had done so with most of the models currently out. Once I knew that the E-30 performed similarly to the E-3 I knew now that I had to pick one over the other. But which one?
Basically, any camera purchase will be based on a personal style and liking and not everyone chooses the same system or the same camera within a system. Gotta love diversity!
What I knew about Olympus that I already liked were the Zuiko lenses, the in body image stabilization, the smaller, lighter (but not cheap feeling) bodies, the image quality, the live view, the intuitive design of the menu system, their dust reduction capabilities, and their built-from-the-ground-up digital system.
I chose the E-30 over the E-3 because of two main reasons:
One was the fact that the E-30 contained much of the innovation and performance of the E-3, but with newer technology. In the digital world, I felt that was a plus.
The second was the actual weight difference. While I think the weather sealed body of the E-3 is great for someone who actually will need it, I couldn’t see myself shooting in the rain. Since I have a bit of arthritis in my hands and wrists already, the lighter body of the E-30 was a better fit for me.
My thoughts on the overall performance of the E-30 is that it performs just as I had hoped it would. It’s fast and responsive.
The 11 point auto focus points were a nice jump from the 3 points with my E-510 and after figuring out how to change from one to the other, it became pretty easy to handle.
The larger 2.7 in screen was nice, not to mention the fact that it can tilt and swivel. I sort of missed the tilt and swivel option from when I owned a Canon S5 IS.
I noticed a difference in the dynamic range too. I wasn’t blowing out highlights as easily as I did with the E-510. Less “blikies” are always a good thing!
The image quality doesn’t disappoint and the 12.3mp allows for larger prints.
I haven’t used the art filters yet, but I’m sure it’ll be just one more thing that I can play around with. It definitely doesn’t distract or degrade the high quality you get with this camera!
If you want to upgrade from the E-4XX or E-5XX models this camera will not disappoint. If you are looking at this as a new DSLR purchase it will be a great camera for you as well.
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