The latest DSLR offering from Olympus finally pitches them into the competition for the mid-range DSLRs. The Olympus E-30 sits snugly above the entry level DSLRs, the E-420 and E-520, and below the high end E-3. With a newly-developed 12.3 megapixels Live MOS sensor and the new TruePic III+ image processor, the E-30 is more than just a trade off of features between higher and lower end models.

With a new viewfinder prism that is significantly smaller than that of the E-3, the Olympus E-30 offers an approx 98% field of view and approx 1.02x magnification (-1m-1, 50mm, at infinity). Another new feature that makes a physical difference is the tilt-able 2.7" HyperCrystal II LCD. Considering that many new DSLRs offer 920K resolution LCDs and when high end compacts are now released with 460K resolution LCDs, the resolution of the E-30 LCD remaining at 230K was a bit disappointing. However, Olympus makes up for this by the tilt-able feature of the LCD which is much welcomed, especially for those who need to work with difficult angles.

In addition to the tilt-able LCD, the E-30 offers improved high-speed contrast AF capabilities in Live View thereby making the Live View feature more useful. Views can also be enlarged by a factor of 5x, 7x or 10x to allow close-ups on subject details to ensure better focusing and composition. For those planning on waving the E-30 over their heads to get their shots, you will be please with the built-in mechanical image stabilisation that is effective to an equivalent of up to 5 EV steps.

Regardless of how you frame your shots, the E-30's inheritance of the E-3's fully-biaxial 11-point AF system will give you the same lightning fast autofocusing and performance. The continuous burst mode also delivers a respectable 5 frames per second with a 12 RAW image buffer thanks to the new TruePic III+ image processor.

Not just delivering faster processing speeds, the TruePic III+ image processor also bring us creative features such as the Art Filter function. This in-camera function offer filters effects which include Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Colour, Light Tone, Grainy Film and Pin Hole. You also get the Multi-Aspect function which provides a choice of nine aspect ratios from the standard 4:3 to the cinematic 16:9 as well as the medium-format 6:6. Self-cleaning sensor also comes as standard with the protection against dust provided by the Supersonic Wave Filter.

Currently scheduled for release from mid-January 2009, the Olympus E-30 will be a worthy upgrade option for those shooting with an entry level DSLR of the Four Thirds Standard.