is this camera any good ??

[lin]

I friend of mine was going to buy a fiji finepix S9600 and was told the macro was rubbish and the olympus E500 was suggested to him.He had a feeling he was just being sold a dearer camera. Can anyone tell me what camera they would suggest buying out of the two. He would like to take close up and distance photos. Is the olympus a better camera than fuji?

 

[dinodan]

I don't know anything about either camera, but my suggestion would be to gather a few Internet reviews of each camera and read them thoroughly. After that, go to a couple of different camera stores and try out the cameras there. As far as I know, both Olympus and Fuji make very good products. Like all camera buying decisions, it comes down to which performs best for the intended use its going to be put to, as well as subjectively which is the most comfortable and convenient to use.

I do think that the Olympus is a DSLR while the "prosumer" Fuji has a fixed lens (albeit with a wide zoom range), so that would be a major difference in category between the two. Again, it comes down to the user's needs.

Many salespeople are very good, but there are some will will bend the truth to sell one brand over another (more money).

 

[Big Mike]

The E-500 is a DSLR with an 18.00 x 13.50 mm sensor and interchangeable lenses...which gives it a huge advantage over the fiji finepix S9600 which is 'SLR-Like'...but not a true DSLR.

I would also suggest the Canon Rebel XTi or the Nikon D40 as better options than the Fuji.

 

[newrmdmike]

i didn't see anyone else provide this link for research, but www.dpreview.com might help you out.

 

[Garbz]

Lin it sounds like a case of trying to sell a DSLR to someone who doesn't need it. No doubt the macro in the Olympus is better when it has the right lens on it, but that is even more expensive. They are two difference cameras with two very different feature sets. There's no doubt about it that the Olympus Evolt is a significantly better camera, but in the end it comes down to what he wants to do with it.

Does he seriously want to take up photography as a hobby? -> Olympus.
Does he just want a nice compact all around camera without having to buy multiple lenses? -> Fuji
Does he want cheap macro? -> Fuji
Does he want macro and is willing to spend several hundred on a lens to get it? -> Olympus.

 

[neea]

If seriously considering the Olympus then, like Mike suggested, maybe the Canon Rebel XTi should also be something to consider.

I just got one and love it.

I looked at prices of the Olympus on Amazon and I paid only 'slightly' more (depends which listing you choose on amazon. new, used, lens, no lens) on B&H.

Spending the extra cash if you're serious will not leave you disappointed.