Official Olympus Gear Thread

[Nick D]

Judy,

I don't see itthere either. I took address from this dpreview thread, http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=29905550, and it liked me to a camera, article and some specs. But now its gone. I am not sure if this was a hoax or a phishing site. I removed my post until there can be some conclusive information. It seems like it disappeared from everyone. When I manually typed in cnet.com and went to there news section, there was no mention of it.

Judy I hope this is not a harmful link. I am very sorry to have posted it now.

Scot,

How would you now if this was a harmful link?

nick

[jefg99]

As happens periodically, someone gets a hold of a release before they are to announce it, and it's pulled back. From what I've been able to gather, and for what it's worth, here are some of the specs:

It will have a new 12mp sensor, same focusing system as the E3, 5fps speed, electronic spirit level, bigger viewfinder than the E520 and a 2.7inch LCD display.

The E-30 and lens are slated to ship in January 2009. The body will have an estimated street price of $ 1299 and the lens will cost about $ 599.

They also announced an updated 14-54mm lens

[Nick D]

Ok I typed in cnet.com, clicked on their news, then typed E-30 and got a thimbnail link. but when I clicked on it, was directed to page you saw Judy. I saw the same page since.

some are thinking it was a leak and had to be pulled. Not sure what to make of it, but it definitely looked interesting.

Nick

[RacingHistorian]

A little more info on E-30.   Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.  $1,299 for E-30, or $1,499 for E-3  (Suggested Retail, obviously both will be lower).   I'm thinking an E-3 successor is in the works. 

[ajlipe]

Ok I typed in cnet.com, clicked on their news, then typed E-30 and got a thimbnail link. but when I clicked on it, was directed to page you saw Judy. I saw the same page since.

some are thinking it was a leak and had to be pulled. Not sure what to make of it, but it definitely looked interesting.

Nick

I don't know about Olympus but Canon has a history of leaking news of a new release a few days before the actual announcement. This leak usually occurs on just one Canon site and is only up for a matter of hours, if that long. Then it's pulled. Sort of a teaser before the actual announcement. Maybe this is what Olympus did?

[Nick D]

OK Oly people and whoever else is interested. I got a PDF copy of the early morning post. The attachment is lited below.

Nick

[RacingHistorian]

I'm more interested in the lens than the camera at this point.  Yeah, the E-30 looks to be a wonderful camera - but for a $200 or so premium, I'm going for the E-3.   I don't care about the MP much at all.   

[Nick D]

I'm more interested in the lens than the camera at this point.  Yeah, the E-30 looks to be a wonderful camera - but for a $200 or so premium, I'm going for the E-3.   I don't care about the MP much at all. 

I'm pretty much agree with you Scot on this one. That hasn't been happening much the last week, but that's ok, you'll eventually learn  to see things more clearly, i hope 

The 12.3 mp would be nice except that with the current Oly sensors it may not address the high noise issue, as amof, it may worsen it. i must admit Alice gave me a bit of advice that has helped me when shooting high iso. I add an extra  +0.3 exposure comp to britten image. As most of the horrid banding is in shaddow area, this cuts it down the noise. I'm not smart enough to know if it is luminous or chroma noise that improves. I'm probably not smart enough to tell you which iwhich.

Scot since I am not so smart,    er maybe you don't need to see things more clearly, .            NAh, you do

Nick

[RacingHistorian]

All I know is that this should put price pressure on the E-3 to come down, especially if there is an E-3 successor in the works.  Which is a good thing since I want to buy an E-3 in the spring.   Of course, that would depend on the 'successor' and where it stands in the line up in terms of features, etc. 

I don't shoot in many low light situations - there's always enough light shining down on me when I photograph.   

[RacingHistorian]

Diddee,

Other than the fps and the weather sealing, the primary factor will be the feel of the ergonomics (I love the feel of the E-3) and of course, the battery grip.   No info on if there will be one available for the E-30 or not.   That's one of the 'stupid' things Olympus does when it doesn't release grips for its 'non-pro' lineup.   

But your point is the 'thing' about this - Olympus isn't going to cannibalize their E-3 sales with this.  I believe there has to be a new E-4 or E-3x or something coming out as an upgrade to the E-3.   Hopefully with the new 12mp processor and other improvements.   

[RacingHistorian]

A little more info on the E-30 here that distinguish it more from the E-3 and probably a more useful camera for "some", but makes a little more sense now as well.

Some of the key points made:

Coming in January, Olympus has announced a new Digital SLR camera called the E-30 that includes a number of innovative firsts aimed at artistic and experimental photographers. The 12.3 Megapixel camera features six built-in digital lens filters, a real-time multi-exposure system, a level gauge, and the ability to shoot in a number of aspect ratios. Yesterday I sat down with Olympus Canada for an early preview of an E-30 prototype and am very impressed with the results it offers.

Art Filters
Most digital cameras have an effects mode where you can apply a sepia tone or black and white effect to your photos and many photo-editing programs include digital filters that perform even more advanced effects. The issue with these features is that they are applied after the picture is taken and professional photographers still prefer to use the traditional filter lenses, the kind you have to screw on to your existing lens on your camera to get the best results.

With the E-30 Olympus is introducing a series of built-in lens filters that, like the traditional glass ones, apply their effects during the picture-taking process. Created with a combination of a mechanical and software-based process, the art filters have the advantage of being applied as part of the camera’s focus and exposure measurements during shooting and of being available for preview on the 2.7” LiveView LCD Display screen. This means that you can line up your shot and then switch between the six different filters and preview their effects to find the one you desire. Once you’ve made your choice you can then change your lighting, angle, and distance to maximize the effect of the filter.

One additional advantage with using digital lens filters is that you can mix them with real lenses, so you can apply a pin hole effect to a fish eye lens (or other experimental combinations).

Multi-Exposure
Another effect you’ll find in some cameras is the ability to superimpose one photo onto another. It’s a neat trick, but one that again the E-30 handles with more sophistication.

”The process is similar in that you first shoot one image and then, as you line up your second, you can see the ghostly imprint of the first one lined up over your shot in the LiveView LCD display. This allows you to accurately line up the tow images before you shoot the second to get the best effect. But the twist is that you can adjust the gain on either image. You can choose to let the camera automatically create a measured balance between the exposures of the two images or you can strengthen one image and weaken the either. This effect allows you to mix elements from one shot into another, such as mixing in a shot of the moon against a dark blue sky into a landscape with an empty skyline or as I was shown at my demo, mix a cat’s face with that of a human’s. It’s a tricky feature to master, but the subtlety of the results make it worth using.

Multi-Aspect Ratio Support
With the E-30 you can take a picture in 4:3, 16:9, even 6:6 format. There are nine different aspect ratios available, allowing you to shoot your picture with the aspect ratio you intend to use when publishing the photo in your viewfinder. Here’s the best part. While the camera saves the formatted picture as a JPEG, it still retains the original, non-aspect ratio image as a RAW, so if there’s a change at the time of publishing and you need to switch to a different aspect ratio, you can.

[RacingHistorian]

Additionally... the HLD-4 battery grip will work on the E-30.   I'm a little more impressed with this camera now, but I still don't understand it's 'placement'. 

[karlg]

The new E30 info is now on the Olympus site:  http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1430

[nrompilla3]

Hey to all the Oly users out there.....I just recvd discount cards for anyone looking to buy Oly products at discounted rates. If interested please let me know. I will bring them with me to the next meeting.

[Nick D]

Anyone here buy or use new 9-18 lens? I am reading some good things about it.

Nick