Olympus E410 & E510

[basil4j]

Hi All,

My wife has expressed interest in the E510 but im wondering what is the difference between the E410 and the E510!?

I sure can't find any...

EDIT: Ok, I think I found it...Image stabilisation!! How could I miss it.

Ok then, how does this camera compare to the Nikon D80? Its 2/3 the price yet has liveview and IS built in?
Is the E510 aimed more at the D40x market or the D80?
Is built in IS better/worse than nikons VR in the lense?
Would the e510 be any good at landscapes with the 2.0x crop factor? (take away the composition issues )

Sorry for all the questions, im just trying to figure out the quite substantial price difference...

 

[Garbz]

It's a different market and a different approach to camera design. IS on the sensor is not better than in the lens, but it is far more cost effective, with the bonus that it works with all lenses and not just selected ones. I saw a test recently posted somewhere here that Canon's IS and Nikon's VR systems are far superior but then you do pay through the nose for it.

The E510 would probably is pitched at the size concious market. It's a D40 competitor with in my opinion better features worth of being nearly a D80. So kind of like a Canon 400D except smaller.

The 2x crop factor shouldn't be an issue for you. If your heart is set on the olympus system then you shouldn't really doubt it too much. Olympus produce lenses to suit the 4/3rds system and you will certainly find lenses suitable for landscape photography. They are also a SLR camera company from way back and not some dodgy new market startup looking to make a quick buck off a rising fad.

 

[DoofClenas]

I believe that the 510 can read/write faster than the 410...

Check this place out...
http://wrotniak.net/photo/oly-e/e500-sett.html

 

[basil4j]

Thanks guys

I thought the E510 was somewhere between the D40x and D80 so this confirms it

Im still stuck on the D80 but my wife saw the E510 at a the Ellerslie Garden show here in NZ yesterday and really liked the look of it. Im trying to come up with a list of pro's and con's of the 2 to help her decide between getting a D80 (like I am) and a E510.

If she went D80 that would mean we can share glass.

There doesn't appear to be much difference in image quality until high ISO's where the D80 seems better.

 

[Garbz]

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/com...idebyside&cameras=nikon_d80,oly_e510&show=all this may help.

D80 vs E510 on some features:
3:2 standard photo size, vs 4:3 computer monitor size
better autofocus, vs the 3 point AF similar to the D40
30seconds max shutter without bulb, vs 60 seconds (great for nights shots)
rear curtain flash exposure, vs no rear curtain

These are some key operational issues which matter to me. Some of them can be worked around like the 30seconds max exposure, this can be overridden using a $25 remote control in bulb mode, but other things like the AF unit would be a big selling point for me.

 

[basil4j]

I hadn't seen that feature on dpreview! Thanks

The focus points thing is a biggie for me...now to see what my wife thinks

 

[DoofClenas]

If you already have then lenses, then I know I'd be stickin' with the Nikon.

 

[basil4j]

Well ill be getting a D80 at the same time (and lenses etc).

Neither of us are roped into a system yet but im stuck on the nikon

My wife just liked what she saw (the E510) and im trying to give her my un-biased (ie toward nikon...kidding...kinda ) thoughts on both

I don't mind which camera she gets, in the end im sure both would do excellent jobs!

Technically the D80 looks superior, but $$$ wise the E510 is mighty tempting

 

[Rchang]

It's not simply "who's better" question. It's all about the features you're looking for. Apart from $$$ and quality considerations, don't miss the point that E410/E510 are the smallest and lightest DSLR. You may not think the weight and size is big deal but you wife probably do. Besides, live view is a good feature.

Probably you may give a chance to yourself to experience other camera brands. When you really own it, you have better chance of unbiased judgment in daily use.

 

[shundaroni]

Just dealt with a similar situation, though instead of a wife it was my best friend. I own the d80, and have since January of this year. I love it and am very vocal about that when asked. My friend owned a d50 for a while, but sold it because he was offered a good price. He honestly didn't get much use out of his d50, because he doesn't really shoot much. Still, shortly after selling it he had camera withdrawal and started looking for a replacement.

His first thought was Sony. That didn't last once he held the A700. He didn't care for it at all. Then he started considering the d80. But the price was too high for him in the end. So he started looking at Olympus on my suggestion, because I'd heard good things.

He bought the E510 two days ago. So far, so good...for the most part. He visibly has some buyer's remorse...I think he legitimately wanted the d80 but knew he probably had to settle for something less expensive. Still, he's been happy with the photos so far. He does like the smaller size, though he thinks (as I do) that the live view is pointless. I think he'll keep it for a while, and eventually sell it to go back to Nikon once he gets some money built up. For the time being, however, he seems content.

 

[aperture monologue]

I really like the size of the Olympus. When you screw a short lens on it, it could pass as a P&S in many people's eyes. I'd say that you should encourage your wife to get an Olympus. If she likes it better, then it's probbably better for her, and the Olympus is certainly capable of producing some amazing results. Technology isn't all there is to camera, size and feel do matter.

 

[basil4j]

Hi All,

Missed these last 3 replies for some reason :\

We actually went into the camera store the other day and tried them out (D80, XTi, K10d, E510...and the D300 but we won't go there )

She actually felt the D80 was most comfortable despite her small hands!

She still hasn't decided but we have a bit of time

Thanks for the feedback people!

 

[antoine]

hope you could post your reviews and sample of photos. Those are some of the camera friends and I are looking to buy.

 

[basil4j]

Hi

That won't be for a while Xmas took all our money I can however give you my impressions and summarys from the huge amount of research I have done

Here we go, im writing this in my order of preference. The D80 is the limit of my budget.

(Keep in mind I am currently un biased towards any brand and just need a camera which works for me)

**XTi**
I didn't play around with this as much. When I picked it up It felt funny in my hands. It pretty much ended there :meh: But to add a bit of weight to this 'review', I spoke to a guy at work who has one. The photo's he took looked very nice despite him using it mostly on auto mode. They had good color's and the focus was spot on. Nothing bad to say here

**D40x**
This is an entry level camera, no doubt about it. In saying that though, I don't know why people loathe it so much :meh: I liked it better than the XTi... Sure you are limited in your lense selection, but more and more lenses are being made which are compatible (and by compatible I mean will AF) and if/when you get to the stage where you need some of the older glass to AF, youll probably be at the stage where you want a new camera also and any glass you do have for the D40 will work on any other DX format nikon so no money wasted
Straight out of the box the in camera JPEG's looked as good as the out of the box shots from more expensive cameras. It is easy to use, very responsive, has fast focusing and a nice viewfinder. I felt it was too small in my hands but I can see people with smaller hands finding it very comfortable. Build quality is excellent and felt far more durable than the XTi (in reality it is probably about the same but it still felt better...). It only has 3 focus point but in all honesty I didn't notice when I was using it I don't consider this a downside (it might be for sports and all that but I didn't get a chance to shoot sports in the store )

**E510**
The first time I saw this was at a flower show. The shots taken looked very sharp even taken in dim/no lighting due to built in image stabilisation. Heres the guys website http://www.digital-images.co.nz/updates?g2_itemId=4342 ...all these were taken with the E510 (or E330). The camera is nice and compact and the 2x crop factor means VERY small and light lenses...nice. The kit lense(s) are arguably some of the best kit lenses out there.
I personally wouldn't use its liveview, and it appears to turn off for a moment when focusing normally (someone correct me if im wrong). From my playing around in store, I found the viewfinder to be a little small. I heard this is due to the funny sensor size (4:3 format).
It felt more comfortable in my hands than the D40 and the XTi but not so much as the K10D or D80. My wife really liked this camera and she said it felt very nice in her smaller hands, and tis also VERY light!
The limited dynamic range which ive read about may or may not be an issue. Its easy enough to bracket exposures but if you can't be bothered...

**K10D**
I was this >< close to chosing the K10D over the D80. The build quality is excellent and the weather sealing puts this well above is price level. Image quality is excellent and hard to beat. Some of the people I asked for opinions own the K10d and a bunch of high end nikons. They said if you can get the shot with the K10d, its hard to beat the results with anything else.
Alot of the reviews really hammer the K10d for the soft in camera JPEG's. While this may be the case, I didn't notice anything and neither do any of the more seasoned users. There are a few tweaks you can make to fix this if you want, and if you shoot in RAW this won't be a problem anyway.
In camera IS is nice and means you can use the huge majority of the old pentax lenses including the limiteds and gains its advantages.
With Pentax, you are buying into thier phenomenal lenses. I hear the limited are on par with Zeiss but can be hard to find.
Button layout is superb and while it may look cluttered, i found it easy to use as soon as I picked up the camera.
Focusing was very fast and spot on but focus tracking was lacking. This is the main reason I didn't choose the K10d. The other reason is the flash system. Nikon's is the best hands down, pentax's isnt
The other little quirk is inconsitent exposure.
The K10d would of been my choice for its excellent image quality if it was only landscapes I was interested in when I had time to compose, but there may be the occasion where I need good focus tracking, eg wildlife, sports etc. The K10D can't track much more than a toddling baby (ok maybe thats a bit of en exageration but its not good :mrgreen: )
The camera felt very good in my hands and it is nice and esy to use. The extra weight over the D80 is hardly noticable.

**D80**
Im in love I wont go into this one other than to say read the comments on this forum and any other forum. I think youll see why I chose to save for it

Hope this helps! Sorry its so general. All these cameras are good for different people. These are purely my opinions from a short amount of time playing with them and a huge amount of time reading

I have lots of comments from users of the K10d and a few from the E510 if you are interested.

 

[jchantelau]

I've had my e-510 for about 3 weeks and love it. My brother-in-law purchased a D40x about the same time and between those two I like the e-510's look, feel, and overall performance better.

I really don't use the "live view" feature that much but use it on occasion and the IS is great. I have fairly large hands and find the e-510 very comfortable to hold. Mine came packaged in a two lens group with the details listed in my sig. I think Olympus did it right with the e-510. I'm a very pleased Olympus customer. With all that said, I also like the D80, just more then I wanted to spend for my first SLR. Even when its time to upgrade I will be looking at the E3 from Olympus.

Here is a sample shot from the 510. This is a Christmas cactus.