Verdict

The E-30 is a strong DSLR that performs well and delivers good quality images with relatively little fuss.

The fact of the matter, however, is that this is a circa-£1,000 DSLR where the main thrust of innovations or improvements are focused on ?art filters? one would normally assume better suited to a compact camera. Why didn?t Olympus just ignore the art filters and simply boost the resolution and LCD size of the E-3 in an upgrade instead? The natural conclusion is that Olympus wasn?t quite ready to make the E-3 redundant until they had finished a new E-?X?. Either way, if you can do without weatherproofing and don?t mind the 98% viewfinder, you?ll be getting an E-3 equivalent for a couple of hundred pounds cheaper, which can only be a good thing.