News Of New Olympus Mid-Range E-30 DSLR Leaked

Word leaked out yesterday, then was quickly wiped up, that fans of Olympus' FourThirds E series of DSLRs can expect to see a mid-range option between the base model E-520 and the professional grade E-3 in January. I say "wiped" up because no sooner had CNet broke the story, then it was pulled, first off its .com site, then off .co.uk. A few sources, including electronista, continue to post information around the E-30. If these details are to be taken at face value here is what can be expected of the E-30:

• 12.3-megapixel
• Same fast, accurate 11-point autofocus as the E-3
• Electronic level to ensure straight landscape shots and image stabilization built into the sensor rather than just the lens
• Beginner-oriented features such as face detection and live visual effects dubbed Art Filters
• ISO: 100 - 3,200
• Five frames per second for up to 12 RAW shots and up to its storage limit in JPEG
• Swiveling LCD that lets users compose live shots
• FourThirds system compatible
• Body-only price point around $1,299.00
• Possible  upgraded 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 Zuiko lens to follow

The puzzling aspects of this revelation is that little more than a month ago Olympus announced at the Photokina Press Day that it was working on a prototype (E-A1) for this slot in the E-series, so it is a pretty safe bet that this is what we are looking at here. Could it be that the leak was really unintentional? CNet pulled back awful quick on this. Do these kind of mistakes still happen? Again, assuming that the prototype mentioned is what we are looking at here, take a look at these additional images taken from the Photokina press event in September. We'll almost certainly hear more about the E-30 in the month(s) to come, only on Olympus' terms this time.

Update: A hands on review for the E-30 has shown up on dpreview.com. Check it out here.

--Tom Milnes