Should I stick with Olympus?

[orb9220]

Yep as others have pointed out. Glass is where it's at.
Want something like a kit lens upgrade from say a 18-55 slower variable f-stop cheap lens? Then spend the monies on a f2.8 constant like the Nikon 17-55 f2.8 which is top of the line. Since that is out of my range then I opted for the Tamron 17-50 f2.8. And my usability in lower light and Image IQ went up quite a bit. Cheaper Zoom then upgrade to f2.8 in the 70-200 range and add a 1.4x or in a pinch 1.7x and wouldn't touch a 2.0x on even a f2.8 and too much a hit in Image IQ and speed.

Also consider what lenses a particular system has that you will need. Canon or Nikon are both great. I went with nikon as I like the feel and controls,menus better than the canons. And now it comes down to sizing up the lens prices and buying only good primo glass and not the cheaper consumer lenses. Also I didn't consider the other brands as I also buy a lot used on craigslist. And have a lot more to choose from Nikon or Canon then other mounts.

But yep get the idea that the Body is the most expensive item to consider. As it is not! It is the Glass.
.

 

[Ron Evers]

Olympus has a crop factor of two meaning a 200mm lens has the effective focal length of 400mm.

Nikon and Canon have 1.5 and 1.6 crop factors.

Correction, the focal length is constant no matter what body it is on. It is the effective field of view that changes. On a 2x crop body with a 100mm lens you will see the field of view a 200mm lens would on a full frame camera not the magnification of a 200mm lens. In other words you have a cropped picture.

 

[KKJUN]

Sorry, but... aren't you all wrong? Aren't the Zuiko lenses for Four Thirds already labeled with their effective field of view? So if you buy a FT-Zuiko-200m-lens, wouldnt it give you 200mm on a FT body?

 

[usayit]

Sorry, but... aren't you all wrong?

Focal length does not change... it is independent of the sensor size. What does change is the Field of View.

From the other end of the spectrum, MF cameras have a format size that makes 50mm lenses have a rather wide Field of view. While m4/3rd 2x crop format size makes the 50mm lenses have a narrow field of view (like a telephoto).

 

[IDLaxStar]

OK, I think i get the idea. My next question is. Should i upgrade my lens or body first?

 

[KKJUN]

Sorry, but... aren't you all wrong?

Focal length does not change... it is independent of the sensor size. What does change is the Field of View.

From the other end of the spectrum, MF cameras have a format size that makes 50mm lenses have a rather wide Field of view. While m4/3rd 2x crop format size makes the 50mm lenses have a narrow field of view (like a telephoto).

Yeah, I know that the focal length doesn't change. the thing I was talking about is: aren't the lenses designed for FT-bodies already labeled with the "effective" focal length they would give you? Because if they wouldn't, my 14-42mm kit lens would be 28-84mm, and does that:

look like 28mm?

 

[IDLaxStar]

Can we get back on topic now? I am wondering if i should upgrade my body or lens first?

 

[Overread]

Glass first!!
Almost always the answer is to go for glass first - as better quality glass makes a massive different to your end image quality. Poor glass on a pro end body is still poor glass and can even end up looking worse on a pro body. Whilst a bit of pro glass on an entry level body can deliver fantastic results.

About the only exceptions are if you are thinking on changing your sensor size (eg going to fullframe instead of cropped sensor) or if you have a pressing need for higher level body features such as a higher usable ISO range.

 

[Don Kondra]

For general shooting I can recommend the 14-54mm mk1, they can be had for ~$300 used. It's a high grade lens and you will notice an improvement in image quality over the kit lenses.

I'd keep the 70-300mm, it's quite good with reasonable light and works well as a macro.

Use it for a while shooting sports and then decide if you want to upgrade to a 50-200mm.

The one thing you might want to consider is an upgrade to a body with image stabilization. That will help with your hand held shots when you can't get the speed up

If that is something you might be interested in, I have a E-510 for sale with 4100 shutter actuations for $250.

Cheers, Don

 

[IDLaxStar]

Is there any good website to buy used equipment from?

 

[Olympus E300]

I tend to lean towards what Don Kondra is saying. Then again, I've only every owned Olympus cameras. I'm loving my E-3 right now! Truth be told, I haven't anything exceptional in regards to glass either.

35mm f/3.5
14-45mm f/3.5-5.6
40-150mm f/3.5-5.6
70-300mm f/4.0-5.6
EC-20 (2x teleconverter)

We all know that its the glass that truely makes or breaks a photograph. For the most part, the body is simply the tool through which the lens is used. With that said, I think that it's important to enjoy your choice of camera body.

 

[Don Kondra]

Is there any good website to buy used equipment from?

FourThirdsPhoto.com | Home

 

[usayit]

Yeah, I know that the focal length doesn't change. the thing I was talking about is: aren't the lenses designed for FT-bodies already labeled with the "effective" focal length they would give you? Because if they wouldn't, my 14-42mm kit lens would be 28-84mm, and does that:

No... the effective focal length is not marked on the m4/3rd lenses. Equiv FOV IS 28-84mm for the kit lens.


How space is portrayed is the same regardless of sensor size.. So a 28mm on a 135 frame is not exactly the same as 14mm on a m4/3rds sensor even though FOV is similar. The same goes for DOF. This is also a big reason why m4/3rds systems do a lot of in-camera correction for things like distortion.


This is also the reason why photographers with years of experience on 35mm frame are often look down on crop sensor cameras. They have a notion / idea of what a scene should look like given a focal length... different sized sensors change all that... forces them to relearn. No different from someone used to large or MF making a transition to 35mm.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

^^exactly.

When I use my 50mm on my FF body, it's a normal walk-around type lens. When I put my other 50mm on my E-P1, it's a telephoto (100mm equiv) and works completely different. It's not better or worse, but just different.

 

[DanEitreim]

It's true that the glass is what matters...but, how a camera feels in your hand can affect how well you perform with it. Before you invest thousands of dollars on a new system, I'd recommend investing a couple hundred and rent the various options you are considering for a few days. They all have the ability to give you good shots...go with the one that feels best to you.