Unhappy with my setup

[Kofman13]

The XSi and the E510 are pretty evenly matched in terms of image quality (color depth and dynamic range). The XSi trumps it in the ISO department and the over all sensor rating though.

But if you do your part the XSi and the E510 should give you similar results. The argument is that if you're truly concerned about image quality, you're not going to gain all that much by jumping to Canon.

But, to your point, if you just like Canon better there's no technical chart that's going to change that. I know how that goes, I am drawn to things and I want them... so I get them.

Is the XSi a step up? Yup, it sure is. It does give you better performance and access to Canon's lenses and accessories which are top of the line. Will having the XSi improve your photography? No, most likely it won't.

If you buy a good quality AF lens for your E510 you'll get the same results, for the most part, as you would with a XSi.

What would I do? I would buy the Canon because I know that's what you want. And in this game, want is 90% of the hobby.

i feel u dawg )

i know i could get better results with AF lens but simply AF lenses i want on olympus are more expensive by far than for canon. also i noticed in my experience ( not huge) that canon images taken on my friends' cameras are warmer and more vibrant than on olympus

 

[Kofman13]

i see.. what about XS? not xsi... i found good prices on XS

 

[inTempus]

i see.. what about XS? not xsi... i found good prices on XS

Go here, you can compare any cameras you like:

Image Quality Database

 

[goodoneian]

But thr fact that it's so hard to get perfect manual focus. And sometimes I would have to have the model hold still thr same pose while I do 4 shots of trial and error focus tweaking where with auto focus it could just be one shot.

Do you think everyone else gets the perfect shot in perfect focus they were hoping for on the first try, regardless of auto/ manual focus or the lens or body they're using?

 

[inTempus]

But thr fact that it's so hard to get perfect manual focus. And sometimes I would have to have the model hold still thr same pose while I do 4 shots of trial and error focus tweaking where with auto focus it could just be one shot.

Do you think everyone else gets the perfect shot in perfect focus they were hoping for on the first try, regardless of manual or autofocus?

I do.

I go on set, set things up, get my model posed and take exactly one shot. We wrap it up and all go home.

I'm that good.

 

[Derrel]

On the DXO Mark rankings list DxOMark Sensor

the Olympus E510 is ranked 75th. The Nikon D3000 is 48th. The Canon EOS 500D is 47th. The Canon EOS 7D is ranked 31st. The Nikon D5000 is 16th. There are no Canon APS-C bodies ranked higher than 31st with the 7D.

The Olympus you are using is now going into its fourth year; it was introduced in January of 2007, so it has been on the market three full years. There are numerous cameras with better sensor performance than the Oly E510,and there are numerous cameras with larger, better viewfinders than the small 4/3 system finders. The larger the sensor, the larger the mirror and the larger the internal viewfinder screen. Just for comparison of viewfinder screens and sensor area: 4/3 is 225 square mm; Canon APS-C is 329 sq. mm; Nikon APS-C is 370 sq. mm. The larger the sensor, the larger the viewfinder screen inside the camera, and the better the view through the camera. Look through an economy FF Sony, of a Nikon D700, or a Canon 5D-II, with their 864 square millimeter sensor and viewfinder screens; manual focus with a tiny, "squinty" viewfinder is what you have with the 4/3 body. Is it any wonder why manual focus ascertainment is so tough?

 

[goodoneian]

But thr fact that it's so hard to get perfect manual focus. And sometimes I would have to have the model hold still thr same pose while I do 4 shots of trial and error focus tweaking where with auto focus it could just be one shot.

Do you think everyone else gets the perfect shot in perfect focus they were hoping for on the first try, regardless of manual or autofocus?

I do.

I go on set, set things up, get my model posed and take exactly one shot. We wrap it up and all go home.

I'm that good.

Me too actually, I've only taken the 69 pictures on my Flickr the whole year and a half I've had my D300

 

[Kofman13]

On the DXO Mark rankings list DxOMark Sensor

the Olympus E510 is ranked 75th. The Nikon D3000 is 48th. The Canon EOS 500D is 47th. The Canon EOS 7D is ranked 31st. The Nikon D5000 is 16th. There are no Canon APS-C bodies ranked higher than 31st with the 7D.

The Olympus you are using is now going into its fourth year; it was introduced in January of 2007, so it has been on the market three full years. There are numerous cameras with better sensor performance than the Oly E510,and there are numerous cameras with larger, better viewfinders than the small 4/3 system finders. The larger the sensor, the larger the mirror and the larger the internal viewfinder screen. Just for comparison of viewfinder screens and sensor area: 4/3 is 225 square mm; Canon APS-C is 329 sq. mm; Nikon APS-C is 370 sq. mm. The larger the sensor, the larger the viewfinder screen inside the camera, and the better the view through the camera. Look through an economy FF Sony, of a Nikon D700, or a Canon 5D-II, with their 864 square millimeter sensor and viewfinder screens; manual focus with a tiny, "squinty" viewfinder is what you have with the 4/3 body. Is it any wonder why manual focus ascertainment is so tough?

Ur the man haha. Ok guys so pretty bent on switching... So once I can sell my setup, I was thinking canon XS because of price... Is XSi that much better?

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

also i noticed in my experience ( not huge) that canon images taken on my friends' cameras are warmer and more vibrant than on olympus

Hmmm...are these shot's you've experienced shot in RAW or JPG? Shooting RAW on my XSi, I had to boost the saturation up on nearly every image. Shooting RAW on the 5dmkii, I am not touching saturation, and when I do, I bring it down.

Also keep in mind, ggod Canon glass is still expensive, and many of the "affordable" lenses are still soft. The 50mm for $100 is an exception. The 100mm 2.8 has great image quality, but is $500.

 

[Overread]

The Xs is not the most ideal purchase - go for the XSi if you are dead set on going with a canon DSLR.
I will admit that canon do have a larger range of midrange glass on offer (in both canon brand and 3rd party) which can make budgeting a little easier for some. Their toprange is still just as expensive though as Olympus.

As for richness of colour in the final images from the camera I would not use that as a basis for changing brands nor comparing cameras since so much is heavily reliant on the incamera processing applied to the image. (as well as the lens used since some lenses give more contrasty results than others). In addition if/when you move to shooting in RAW mode the incamera settings for editing will start to become meaningless since you will have control over all the aspects of the final images appearance (exposure and white balance).
I know that my 400D canon camera (Xti I think it is) tends to give slightly reddy results straight from the camera - but as I shoot in RAW that is easily adjusted.

Editing is a key stage in photography - film shots were processed - and digital shots need processing to. And the more you do outside of the cameras automatic settings the more control you have over the final resulting image.

 

[Village Idiot]

And you're going to have to deal with even less DOF at wider apertures if you step up to a large sensor. I mean, if you're having a problem with that already...

 

[gsgary]

A good tradesman never blames his tools

 

[ben_ja_min]

For what it's worth, here's a comparison of apparent viewfinder size and sensor size between various dSLRs.

http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/43/view-size.html
wrotniak.net: Four Thirds Sensor Size and Aspect Ratio

Focusing the OM 50mm f1.8 on my E-3 is a whole lot more pleasurable than on my E-300.

 

[inTempus]

Ur the man haha. Ok guys so pretty bent on switching... So once I can sell my setup, I was thinking canon XS because of price... Is XSi that much better?

As I said before, no. It's not going to be a huge difference in terms of image quality.

Derrels figures (13th, 43rd, etc.) in practice mean little (and in some cases nothing) in terms of image quality. The DXO Labs metrics dictate that it takes 5 points (not .5, but 5) for there to be 1/3 of a stop difference in IQ. That means if one camera has a .5 better score in practice you won't be able to see it with your naked eye no matter how hard you try.

If one camera rates 15th and the other 30th in their rankings, chances are the IQ between the cameras will be pretty close to equal to the human eye. Where you will see massive differences in modern bodies is in the high ISO performance area. If you're wanting to shoot at ISO's above 800 you will want to spend more money and get a higher end Canon or Nikon. But if you're primarily interested in IQ at ISO 800 or below, then most current bodies are on pretty equal footing.

If you like the features (look, feel, menus) of Canon, that's where you're going to see a big difference. Ergonomics play a big role in how you work with your camera. That, and lenses and accessories are a big bonus. The lenses are the primary reason I stick with Canon, they simply rock for my use.

Also, if you shoot with people that shoot Canon that's another big bonus. It's great shooting with your friends and being able to help each other and share lenses / accessories.

 

[Kofman13]

well yeah i would like to move to canon, gonna sell my kit, but instead of getting the XS, i was thinking i could get the XSi because thats like the higher end of my budget and would last me a great deal of time, i found it with kit lets for $569 on ebay. and that price i could handle. and i wouldnt need to buy another camera for a long time, why not invest in the best for my lifestyle. what do you think?