first D-SLR
Posted by: Phil Sparks on 12 April 2006
Got a few OM bodies (4, 4ti, couple of 1s) and a bag full of olympus primes that I still love for their quality, intuitiveness (sp??), small size etc. however I've found myself using the wife's small digi compact more often recently. I love the way you can try things out and see the result immediately, also it's great for grabbing lots of snaps of the kids then just seeing which ones works. However the shutter delay is infuriating, the lack of control bugs me and the quality is really pretty average.
Therefore I've been thinking of getting an entry level digi SLR. This won't really be a replacement for the OM stuff but will be good for kids parties, family days out etc, where I'd like to get better results than the P&S but would like the ability to shoot 100 shots and just keep the best 4 or 5 rather than burn £30 on 3 rolls of film and processing.
Handled the Eos 350 D and thought it felt cheap. The D50 and Oly E500 felt better. The E500 looks a good deal at £600 for a kit with 2 lenses but I get the sense that buying into the 4/3 system could be limiting in the future. The D50 gets great reviews and with the 18-70 lens is only £500 or so. One recommendation I had was to go for the 17-200VR lens which will cover all eventualities and is great optically too - can be had for c.£800 with the D50. I've never really used long lenses much (my Oly 200m has bee used a handful of times whereas the 21mm and 24mm get a much more regular outing) - however maybe I don't use often simply because I can't be bothered to carry round - and if it was always on the camera it would get used more often.
I'm not too price sensitive but I think spending more on the lens and less on the body is the right way to go at the moment.
Any thoughts?
Phil
Therefore I've been thinking of getting an entry level digi SLR. This won't really be a replacement for the OM stuff but will be good for kids parties, family days out etc, where I'd like to get better results than the P&S but would like the ability to shoot 100 shots and just keep the best 4 or 5 rather than burn £30 on 3 rolls of film and processing.
Handled the Eos 350 D and thought it felt cheap. The D50 and Oly E500 felt better. The E500 looks a good deal at £600 for a kit with 2 lenses but I get the sense that buying into the 4/3 system could be limiting in the future. The D50 gets great reviews and with the 18-70 lens is only £500 or so. One recommendation I had was to go for the 17-200VR lens which will cover all eventualities and is great optically too - can be had for c.£800 with the D50. I've never really used long lenses much (my Oly 200m has bee used a handful of times whereas the 21mm and 24mm get a much more regular outing) - however maybe I don't use often simply because I can't be bothered to carry round - and if it was always on the camera it would get used more often.
I'm not too price sensitive but I think spending more on the lens and less on the body is the right way to go at the moment.
Any thoughts?
Phil
Van, don't mind Garyi 
, I am sure you will be very happy with your new camera. The kit lenses are very good, especially the 45-150. It is usually suggested that you update the firmware in the camera and lenses straight away. IIRC there was a recent (ie within the last week) firmware update for the camera. Firmware updating is via the Olympus Master software which will be on a CD in the box.
Couple of sites for you: www.fourthirdsphoto.com is a good general source of info whilst the Olympus SLR forum at DPReview is a friendly place to hang out. Far less bitchy than the Nikon and Canon fora, so rumour has it.
/david
, I am sure you will be very happy with your new camera. The kit lenses are very good, especially the 45-150. It is usually suggested that you update the firmware in the camera and lenses straight away. IIRC there was a recent (ie within the last week) firmware update for the camera. Firmware updating is via the Olympus Master software which will be on a CD in the box.Couple of sites for you: www.fourthirdsphoto.com is a good general source of info whilst the Olympus SLR forum at DPReview is a friendly place to hang out. Far less bitchy than the Nikon and Canon fora, so rumour has it.
/david
quote:Originally posted by David Legge:
Van, don't mind Garyi
Couple of sites for you: www.fourthirdsphoto.com is a good general source of info whilst the Olympus SLR forum at DPReview is a friendly place to hang out. Far less bitchy than the Nikon and Canon fora, so rumour has it.
/david
Thanks david
everyone to their own opinion i say, im not looking for something built like a tank, more important to me is how it performs.Thanks for the tips
ps are there any risks linked to doing the firmware updating? dont know where he has heard it but the bro mentioned something about oly cameras messing up following the update.
quote:Originally posted by Roy T:
Van the man,
Was it package price or feature set that made you decide to go for the E-500 body rather than the E-330 or E-300?
Hi Roy, I guess a mixture of both really.
My bro has the e500, has not had a bad word to say about it apart from wishing he had waited
I've mentioned a few times that I love ultra-wide angle lenses, and this shot is the sort of thing I think is fun:
I was out for a walk with my daughter earlier today and in between the thunderstorms and art galleries we visited a few of the cow-art sculptures that are currently dotted about the city. This shot was taken with the camera held down at knee height and with the lens set to it's wide (10mm) end.
I was out for a walk with my daughter earlier today and in between the thunderstorms and art galleries we visited a few of the cow-art sculptures that are currently dotted about the city. This shot was taken with the camera held down at knee height and with the lens set to it's wide (10mm) end.