Hi everyone , looking at my first DSLR and have found this FOR £429 with free delivery etcl.
My questions are
how good is this (I know its been replaced by the 400) and am worried about the 4/3rds i read about..is it really an issue?
I know lenses are expensive, but with the twin lenses it copmes with are they good enough to cover all the initial bases, worried that the 17-45 isn't wide angle enough.
There are possibly Nikon D50 pakages out there for £470 is that a better deal?
Sorry its so vague but I'm new to this..are they both better options than Canon G7
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I have used the Olympus system for 3 years and the E-500 for over a year and found it to be a very capable and flexible camera. The Image Quality and white balance are excellent, as is the display LCD and the many preset options can also be handy, especially as you start out. The viewfinder could be larger, and the VF information display (on the right side of the viewfinder) can be a bit of a pain if you use/need glasses. The flash is adequate and works fairly well, the camera is reasonably well put-together, and the many control options are fairly well organized.
In general, Olympus kit lenses are a very good deal, and many excellent pictures have been taken with the 40-150, I would, however, look and bargain hard to have the 17.5-45mm replaced by the significantly wider and better qualty 14-45mm.
I've also had and used a Nikon F 70 and still have and use an F80 and several mid-range Nikon lenses, and have sometimes used a friend's F5's and really expensive Nikon glass. They're good cameras with a wide choice of lenses, including some--expensive and--outstanding ones. Certainly the D50's viewfinder will be bigger and its AF and metering technology newer. Personally, I like the Olympus cameras (especially my old E-1) better for the consistent quality of their more limited but made-for-digital glass and the overall portability of the whole outfit. I also appreciate the greater depth of field the smaller 4:3rds sensor provides.
But do go out and *try* both options, more than once if possible. It really is the only way to buy a camera! You may want to take a CF card along, so that you can nring home and compare the images.
And, oh yes...also expect to be somewhat disappointed with some of your first pictures. DSLR's do much less sharpening, "vividizing" of colour, and aggressive noise reduction than point and shoots, and also expect more input from you. So you'll likely have to learn to do some image post- processing to get the exact colours, saturation and other effects that you want.
erichK
saskatoon, canada
