|
4. Physical Description
For a model perched in between the E-510/520 and the E-3, the E-30 fits like a glove at least physically. Its weight is almost midway between the two and visually, it looks like a perfect sibling in companion. When viewed side by side, it’s easy to see the family resemblances.
Image 2, A side-by-side comparison in size amongst the (L-R) Olympus E-520, E-30 and E-3
A quick view of the E-30 (see above) shows that height-wise, the E-30 is closer to the E-3 mainly because it does away with the E-510/520’s simpler pentamirror arrangement while adopting the solid pentaprism from the latter. In terms of width, again the E-3 and E-30 are inseparable, enabling both to share the same HLD-4 battery grip. In fact in almost every dimension – with the exception of height – both cameras are identical. | | E-30 (Prosumer) | E-3 (Pro) | E-520 (Consumer) | Savings Gained (over the E-3) | Savings Lost (over the E-520) | | Width (Breadth) | 141.5 mm | 142.5 mm | 136.0 mm | 1 mm or 0.7% | 5.5 mm or 4.0% | | Height | 107.5 mm | 116.5 mm | 92.0 mm | 9 mm or 7.7% | 15.5 mm or 16.8% | | Depth (Thickness) | 75.0 mm | 74.5 mm | 68.0 mm | -0.5 mm or -0.7% | 7.0 mm or 10.3% | | Weight (Body only) | 655.0 gm | 810.0 gm | 490.0 gm | 155 gm or 19.1% | 165 gm or 33.7% | A comparison of major physical statistics between the E-30, E-3 and E-520 camera bodies including general comparative size and weight gains. - Information provided by Olympus Imaging Corporation, Japan.
Despite gaining a few sizes up from the E-510/520, the E-30 is still considered compact especially when compared to offerings from other manufacturers. In that sense, its general handling remains fairly wieldy. However taking their respective kit lenses into account, the E-30’s weight tells the difference in comparison to either the E-510/520 or the E-3.
| | E-520 with 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 ED | E-30 with 14-54mm Mk II f2.8-3.5 ED | E-3 with 12-60mm SWD f2.8-4.0 SWD | | Weight (body & kit std lens) | 680.0 gm | 1,095.0 gm | 1,385.0 gm | A comparison of weights between the E-30, E-3 and E-520 based on the use of their respective ‘standard lenses’
- Information provided by Olympus Imaging Corporation, Japan.
| | E-520 with 40-150mm f4-5.6 ED | E-30 with 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD | | Weight (body & kit zoom lens) | 710.0 gm | 1,650.0 gm | A comparison of weights between the E-30, E-3 and E-520 based on the use of their respective ‘standard telephoto zoom lenses’
- Information provided by Olympus Imaging Corporation, Japan.
With the standard zoom lens – 14-54mm in the case of the E-30 – the weight disparity is significant not just in numbers but in the way it feels during handholding. E-510/520 owners wishing to upgrade to the E-30 will take immediate note here because the three available standard zoom lenses on offer are so dramatically different weight-wise. While the E-510/520’s 14-42mm weighs a paltry 190g, the E-30’s 14-54mm is more than twice as heavy at 435g and the 12-60mm is three times that. And the filter sizes tell the same story – 58mm (14-42mm), 67mm (14-54mm) and 72mm (12-60mm). Construction Despite magnesium being a supposedly lightweight material, the E-3’s body weight has often come in for some criticism especially given its relatively compact size. It’s almost as if you’re holding on to a piece of ingot. While the E-30 is somewhat lighter, there’s no question that you are holding on to something quite substantial in your hands. After having either of these cameras in your hands, you feel nothing with the E-510/520. It is so feather light by comparison that you’d be wondering, “where on earth has all the weight gone?”
With their kit lenses attached, the E-510/520 gains a tremendous advantage because its body is essentially plastic although the chassis is still alloy constructed. The lens – 14-42mm – is extraordinarily light, having plastic aspheric optical elements within. Its rear lens flange-cum-mount is also made from hardened but lightweight plastic. There’s also no pentaprism to speak of but a five-sided arrangement of optical mirrors inside to provide the reflex view. The LCD monitor does not offer adjustments and so there are articulating joints to add weight to. The entire shutter box is not only simpler in construction but made from lighter materials. Construction and parts around the pop-up flash are simpler and lighter also. The viewfinder optical system contains less optical elements in its arrangement. So all in all, collective weight shavings with the E-510/520 are quite impressive, resulting in a body mass that is even lighter than the 12-60mm lens on its own.
The E-3’s weight disadvantage when compared to the E-30 comes mainly from the use of a larger pentaprism glass block. Quite apart from that, almost everything is identical. So you can say that the difference in weight of 155 gm is due to a pentaprism that is obviously superior in coverage and magnification and that’s the price you pay for having this exquisite viewing advantage. Having said that, losing that 155 gm doesn’t place the E-30 at a disadvantage that you can tangibly feel. In fact given that the E-30’s viewfinder quality is so closely drawn to the E-3, that being lighter doesn’t appear to be a performance penalty you’d need to be too concerned over.
Weatherproofing or Lack of
Perhaps the one feature that many will pined for that the E-30 misses out on is weatherproofing and just on this fact alone, it is incomparable to either the E-1 or and the E-3. Both these models are proven in the field for their imperviousness to sand, rain, storms, sleet, sea mists, dust and any hostile environmental elements. In that sense, where the E-3 can go, the E-30 might have to be left in the bag.
Weatherproofing was left out of the E-30 for two reasons. One is cost and the other is to help separate it from the E-3. As the specs may indicate, the E-30 is very closely tied to the E-3 – close enough to bring confusion to the order of things in the E-series range. So the one thing that Olympus could do is to remove a key aspect of its capability. By leaving weatherproofing out, the E-3 remains the only model in the E-series that can brave the elements better than any of its siblings – an advantage obviously worthy of flagship status. Control Placement Again looking at all three cameras from the front, the E-3 is slightly curvy at the sides while the E-30 shares a more upright appearance with the E-510/520. But there are some noticeable visible cues that reveal how the E-30 appears like a crossbreed of the two. With the E-3, it shares the same external sensor (although smaller in size), depth of field preview button, external flash connector, front positioned sub-dial and prominent pentaprism. You can just about see the array of control buttons behind the E-30’s shutter release button also. Even these share the same design rationale as the E-3’s.
On the other hand, the E-30 and the E-510/520 has commonalities like the similarly positioned IR window, near-identical handgrip top slope angle, same black-and-chrome rimmed styling treatment to the shutter release and lens release buttons.
The placement of the model name is also the same. Both, too, have a prominent top-positioned exposure mode dial except that in the E-30, it’s moved to the other side.
Interestingly when it comes to the leatherette cladding, all three may have the same crackle finish but the E-510/520’s variant feels to have more grip. It’s probably because the rubberised content is more generously applied.
When handholding the E-30, there is that unmistakable feel of solidness similar to the E-3. Typical of Olympus, precision manufacturing is first rate. Panel fit and finish leaves no garish gaps anywhere to be seen. Buttons click or turn with a positive note. The E-30’s weightiness, while an issue initially, becomes secondary when you come to realise that its weight distribution is centred slightly ahead of the tripod bush. This is particularly evident when the 14-54mm lens is mounted. With the weight gravitating towards the bottom centre, the E-30 feels very balanced. This proves vital time and again when using the E-30 in situations where stability is critical such as during low-speed and/or lowlight shooting. On the other hand using the E-30 with the more pedestrian but featherweight 14-42mm lens, that centre moves behind the tripod bush, necessitating the left palm to shift backwards a touch to get the balance back. Rear of Camera
Image 3 - courtesy of John Foster (www.biofos.com), 2008 Here is the E-30’s rear with the ink blue-tinted LCD panel twisted into position to reveal its exposed surface. The E-30’s design is an interesting combination of the best from the E-510/520 and E-3 genres, which you can see here.The button arrangement – including the main dial – is very obviously borrowed from the E-3, which is better because they are more ergonomically defined. Unlike the E-510/520, the buttons usually to the left of the LCD panel – called ‘Super Control Panel’ – have now moved to the bottom edge. Those to the left of the pentaprism are now next to the eyepiece. Perhaps the single biggest departure from the E-510/520 is the individual hard buttons for ISO, AF, metering and WB – all these are now separated from the four-way navigation button set. The use of blue – rather than green – for the review mode features is borrowed from the E-520 and so is the new knurled exposure mode dial, which is reminiscent of the OM cameras.
Looking at the rear of the E-30, there is a sense of busyness about it. Although the control buttons seem to appear haphazardly strewn everywhere, there is a logic to the madness. Active controls that you need during shooting are placed within reach of the right thumb and are strategic arranged to the right of the LCD monitor. On the other hand ‘less critical’ controls are placed neatly below the monitor. The only miscue in an otherwise perfect ergonomic design is the metering and AF mode buttons.
Positioned to the far left, it is impossible to be interactive with them when the eye is at the viewfinder. This means an extra step to move away and use them. Another idiosyncrasy with the E-30 is the combined utility of having a single button to control the metering and drive settings. Accessing one instead of the other will require a two-hand operation in conjunction with either the main/sub dial or the navigation buttons. Neither of these oversights is killjoy to your purchasing plans but in practical use, it is downright annoying when you need to make changes in the midst of shooting. LCD Monitor
Image 4, © Copyright Khen Lim, Zone-10. All Rights Reserved 2009. Here is a view of the E-30’s articulated LCD monitor being moved outwards and shown with the LiveView Digital Leveller feature on. Unlike any other E-series model, the E-30 offers a visual guide for you to get your images aligned properly. Although this view only shows the monitor in one folded-out position, the multi-articulation ability offers plenty of angles that add tremendously to greater photo opportunities, making the E-30 as dexterous as the E-3 in terms of low ground as well as overhead shooting. Notice too how the LCD panel’s articulation is actually based on two elbow motions (see circle); one next to the other. One provides the inward-outward movement while the other allows the panel to tip forwards or backwards up to 360 degrees.
If you can get past the myriad buttons at the rear of the E-30, the one feature that is too difficult to ignore is the LCD monitor. Removing the camera body from its box, you merely see the back cover of the monitor with the name ‘OLYMPUS’ engraved at the centre. With the help of a small finger dugout, pulling the monitor out is effortless but what is more exciting is the manner in which it can articulate. There are basically two joint movements involved in the LCD monitor’s articulating abilities. The first is the main joint that moves the monitor out horizontally all the way to 180 degrees. The second in-between joint allows it to tilt forwards to 180 degrees to face the front and backwards by 90 degrees for overhead shooting. The entire swing and tilt movements are smooth and reasonably tight – certainly smooth enough to get to the precise angle you want in either direction.
Quality-wise, it doesn’t look like you can break the joints too easily.
Unlike the E-3’s, luminance control for the E-30’s LCD monitor is manually set via the menu but that’s alright – as it is in default setting, the colours are bright enough, details are clear and the colour balance seems accurate although you can also custom calibrate this. But when the outdoor lighting gets too glaring, you’re likely to encounter some trouble as the colours and image details all seem lost. This is when a simple cupped-shape hand shield might work temporarily.
Needless to say, an articulating LCD monitor extends shooting possibilities beyond the norm and because the E-30 supports LiveView like all current E-series models, the opportunities for low- or waist-level or overhead shooting become plentiful and easy to do. And what this normally means is that you no longer have to awkwardly bend your anatomy or distort your normal shooting posture just to snatch that opportunistic shot. Top of Camera
Image 5, © Copyright Khen Lim, Zone-10. All Rights Reserved 2009. The E-30’s top panel design has very close relationship to the E-3 courtesy of the large secondary LCD screen (Control Panel) to the right of the pentaprism as well as the way in which the buttons are arranged ahead of it. The indentations that house the exposure compensation and ISO setting buttons are also fashioned after those from the E-3 and so are the other two buttons to illuminate the LCD screen (Light) and change the White Balance (WB) setting. To the left is the unique Mode dial; never seen before in any past E-series model, making the E-30 distinctive. And unlike the E-510/520, the E-30’s pentaprism takes up significantly more space and has a greater sense of presence.
From the top looking down, the one unique characteristic feature of the E-30 is not the LCD Control Panel. After all, the E-3 also has it but no other E-series model has the Exposure Mode dial to the far left. Some might take that to mean that Olympus had learned not to go overboard with minimalism (as in the E-3) but be that as it may, there is a pleasant sense of visual balance to it all. With that smallish space to the left of the pentaprism, the dial – lifted with style unchanged from the E-510/520 – sits comfortably almost as if it’s made for it.
Camera Grip Compared to the more slender prism look of the E-510/520, the E-30’s pentaprism is positively bulkier and more critically, heavier, dominating the top panel real estate almost overwhelmingly. Apart from the LCD Control Panel, it’s the handgrip that stands out next. Its shape – viewed from the top – is unlike either the E-510/520 or the E-3, owing precious little also to the venerable E-1. However shaped it may look, holding it is comfortable and reassuring. Even if the instep may look a bit sharply chiselled, there is as much room aplenty for the fingers to wrap securely around as there is space between it and the lens mount to find some appreciable grip.
For a camera of this stature and intent, the design success of the handgrip is not unimportant. If the handgrip isn’t up to the job of allowing a secure grip, finding stability and balance with a long lens mounted on to the E-30 will be an unsustainable problem without a tripod. In situations where the use of tripods is either frowned upon or impractical, a poorly-designed handgrip is going to be fatal. It’s just as well that with the E-30, the handgrip is quite well sized and nicely contoured even for my smallish hands.
It is also important that when assessing any DSLR handgrip, attention is paid to how the thumb holds up at the rear because both the fingers at the front and the thumb at the back should provide counterbalance for one another. In the case of the E-30, the slightly scalloped cavity above the navigation buttons provide the necessary space and grip for the thumb to do its job. This then leaves the fingers at the front to work their way around the handgrip while the forefinger rests on the shutter release button on the top slope.
In fact the forefinger is going to be quite a busy since the sub dial is just beneath the shutter release and behind it is a cluster of buttons for Exp Comp, ISO and WB. In most cases, these are frequently used controls and in the E-30, they are all easily reached and accessed. The fact that the Exp Comp and ISO buttons reside inside their individual wells is good for tactile identification while the WB button has a slightly raised profile. All these little touches help to improve finger pad instincts to a level you can rely on while you busily peer through the viewfinder to concentrate on your subject. Top Control Panel
Images 6, © Copyright Khen Lim, Zone-10. All Rights Reserved 2009. The E-30’s top-positioned Control Panel indicates that the E-30 is set to Continuous H (5fps), AWB, Aperture-Priority AE, ESP metering, spot-AF target, S-AF+MF, flash mode disabled and Super-Fine compression. The current aperture selected is f2.8. There are 214 frames remaining on the memory card.
For those accustomed to the E-3’s Control Panel, there is not much new to learn here but for those upgrading from lesser models, there is a feast of information to light up your interests. Essentially you get pretty much all the important exposure details that you find in the LCD monitor except that by having them here, you merely peer downwards at the E-30 to get a glimpse instead of having to tilt the camera forwards to see them at the back. Another essential benefit of the Control Panel is that it uses less battery power to support the displayed information compared to the rear monitor. So if you are mindful of conserving battery power, you can easily turn off the monitor and just depend on the Control Panel to display all that you need.
Needless to say, its monochromatic display doesn’t compare with the clarity that colours offer in the LCD monitor but if you are power saving conscious, it is unbeatable.
Measuring 4.5 x 2.0 cm (or 1.8 x 0.8 in), the LCD Control Panel is long and how so much information can be cramped into such a small space and yet appear consistently readable is quite a feat. To help fend off unwanted glare, Olympus used a rear-angled slope to slightly bend the Control Panel backwards as a form of a shield and then indented the LCD.
Please login or register to add comments |
