Canon Rebel XS vs. Olympus E-P1

brittanyjadexo · Jan 20, 2010

Hello! I'm a total newbie to photography but have always been interested. I purchased a Canon Rebel XS back in October and have loved the photos that come out of it, but I also don't have totally high expectations coming from a point and shoot... they look incredible to me. I really don't have any complaints about the XS except it's size. While it's not huge by any means, and it's not terribly difficult to tote around... I find myself not wanting to carry it around. I run a charity foundation so for events and such, I'd love to take more photos but it's not always convenient. Most of my pictures are of dogs and kids, lol. I love taking action shots. I also really miss having video and camera all in one.

So, basically, do you think the Ep1 would be a total downgrade from the XS or not? I never take the XS off of Auto or Sports mode and have not taken the time to learn all it can actually do. I still use the kit lens and have been pretty happy with it. When taking the action shots of my dog for example, I put it on sports mode and snap snap snap snap like 5 pics in a row and pick out the best ones that came out of it. Would the E-P1 be capable of this? Is there a certain lens you could recommend to use for this camera for action? Do you think I could get equally good pics?

Thanks for any help -- much appreciated!

Ron Evers · Jan 20, 2010

EP1 - no viewfinder & no built in flash would totally rule it out for me & I am into micro 4/3 format.

Tony Zerrer · Jan 21, 2010

You need to examine your needs and what is most important to you. It sounds like portability is important, so maybe you should look into the Ep1. For me, I would focus on buying more accessories for my SLR. The benefit of having an SLR is having the ability to add lenses, flashes, and other accessories that would enhance your photography. It might be a downgrade, but you might find yourself taking more photos, which will ultimately enhance your photography skills. The only way to get better is to practice.

Village Idiot · Jan 21, 2010

If you want portable and powerful, check out Canon's G line. I think the G11 is the newest one. It has a lot of benefits of a DSLR but in a P&S package. It even has a hotshoe where you can attach external flashes.

I've seen a lot of great pictures come from these cameras and a lot of shooters use them as their travel companions. Even one, maybe two, huge Nikon shooters I know of use them.