From a price point of view the E-30 currently goes head to head with the Canon EOS 50D (if you're on a budget you can get an EOS 40D - which is a few hundred dollars less and offers similar image quality). Screen size/resolution, continuous shooting and ISO range aside, the E-30 actually wins on features.
This is our standard studio scene comparison shot taken from exactly the same tripod position. Lighting: daylight simulation, >98% CRI. Crops are 100%. Ambient temperature was approximately 22°C (~72°F).
Canon EOS 50D: Canon EF 50 mm F1.4 lens, Aperture Priority, ISO 100
JPEG Large/Fine, Manual WB, Default Parameters (Standard), Self-Timer (with MLU)
Olympus E-30
Canon EOS 50D
7.0 MB JPEG (4032 x 3024)
4.4 MB JPEG (4752 x 3168)
The 15MP Canon looked a touch soft against its 10MP companion model, the 40D, and is shown-up just as comprehensively by the E-30. There's perhaps a touch more detail in the 50D image but the greater sharpening and contrast of the Olympus give a much punchier image overall.
