Older model dslr vs. newer p&s's

[cbryk0718]

I'm trying to decide which way to go. I was offered some used cameras after posting on craigslist for really good prices:

Olympus E-20 for $175
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/...id=714&fl=4

Kodak Easyshare Z740 for $175
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jht...pq-locale=en_US

or should I go with a new camera like the Canon A630. I only have about $230 for my camera budget. As a beginner I'm looking for something that will grow with me for at least a little while. I'm most interested in doing portraits starting with just friends and family and not really sure where it'll go from there.

 

[cameramike]

well first, those are not dslr's (digital single lens reflex) they have electronic viewfinders which means when you look through the viewfinder your seeing the same digital display as on the LCD. so the lens is not interchangeable. i'd say go with the Olympus personally. its looks a bit bigger which should make it easier to hold and also you have the option to save pictures in RAW format which could be useful especially for portraits.

 

[cbryk0718]

I knew the easyshare isn't a dslr but for some reason I did think the Olympus was. Oops! Can we say embarrassing moment for an amatuer!

 

[cameramike]

dont worry about it. nothing wrong with going with what they call a pro consumer camera i just upgraded to a DSLR but either one of those should be good for what you want to do. i'm not a big fan of Kodak's but thats just me. but the kodak looks a bit smaller which may be nice if you want to be able to bring it a lot of places with you

 

[RyanLilly]

Actually the E-20 IS an SLR, It has a real viewfinder its not electronic, the main difference though is that The E-20 uses a prism to split the light rather than a mirror. and I has a non-interchangeable lens. I have a E-10 Its a pretty good cam all around, but its a little slow and is has a lot of hot pixels with longer exposures(It might just be a problem with my camera), and the ISO range sucks, not sure if they changed it on the e-20 though.

 

[cameramike]

sorry for the false info. i read it wrong, it does say in the details that the E-20 is an slr viewfinder i read the kodak details and must not of noticed it

 

[RyanLilly]

I think that you should look into the E-20 (its almost exactly the same as the e-10 except pixel count) I't has a great feel and can take some quality shots. The controls are well laid out and easy to use. You will be able to learn a lot from this camera. $175 sounds like a solid deal also. The quality you will get from the olympus with its bigger sensor(not as big as other SLR's but still bigger) and fast lens(f/2 at the wide end and f/2.4 at the long end) will exceed that of most Point and shoot cameras.

Just remember you will also need CF cards and a couple sets of Ni-MH rechargeable AA batteries.

Go for the olympus, you wont be disappointed.