The Olympus E-30 sits between the most advanced professional Digital SLR in the Olympus range and the more basic consumer models. It is suitable for serious amateurs or less demanding professional photographers.
Stand out features include a burst mode capable of taking photos at a rate of 5 frames per second. A maximum of 12 RAW images can be stored when shooting at this speed. Two features that are now standard with a Digital SLR are included. These are dust protection and a Live View mode. Dust protection automatically cleans the sensor and reduces the problems caused by dust. The Live View mode allows you to compose your photos on the 2.7 inch LCD screen.
Olympus has built image stabilisation into the body of the E-30. This helps to reduce the cost of buying lenses as this technology does not need to be built into the lenses as well.
Creative options include nine aspect ratios. As well as the more standard 4:3 ratio options include 16:9 for wide shots, plus a 1:1 for square images historically associated with medium format photography. In addition the E-30 has a number of built in Art Filters. These allow you to add effects to your photos without resorting to add on filters or working in Photoshop. The filters include: Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Colour, Light Tone, Grainy Film and Pin Hole.