Olympus E-30

8.8 Rating

A feature-rich Four Thirds System DSLR for photo enthusiasts.Designed for photo enthusiasts and amateur photographers who want a more sophisticated camera, the new Olympus E-30 is the first in a series of ‘double-digit’ models that will slot in between the ‘three-digit’ entry-level models and the professional ‘single-digit’ camera. The new camera’s 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor replaces the 10-megapixel imager currently used across the company’s DSLR range. The E-30 also features a new image processor.

Olympus E-3

8.5 Rating

A solidly-built, professional-quality DSLR for Four Thirds system enthusiasts.Olympus is targeting professional photographers and ‘advanced enthusiasts’ with its E-3 DSLR model, which replaces the four-year-old E-1, the world’s first Four Thirds system DSLR. However, the promise of smaller, lighter cameras claimed for the Four Thirds system is not delivered in the E-3, which is one of the heaviest DSLR bodies in the under-$5000 category. (Only Nikon’s D200 and D300 weigh more.) But size and weight aren’t the only factors influencing camera choice and the E-3 has plenty to recommend it.

Olympus SP-800 UZ

7.5 Rating

A compact, lightweight digicam with a 30x zoom lens plus 720p HD video recording.When it was unveiled in February, Olympus’s SP-800UZ was one of only two digicams with a 30x zoom lens. Claiming the advantage of being the world’s smallest in this category, the SP-800UZ boasts a 14-megapixel sensor and was released with a ‘sister’ model, the SP-600UZ which sports a 15x zoom lens and 12-megapixel resolution. Reviews of both models will appear on the Photo Review website.