What is your opinion on olympus d-slr????

[Baaaark]

'Twas Minolta...

This is where me being a young pup comes into play. I think AF has been around as long as I have!

 

[Markw]

Our local Sears portrait studio uses The Olympus E-1. I was very surprised to hear that as it is only a 5.5MP camera and they do quite large prints. I dont know what that means in this case, but just figured Id chime in with that.

Mark

 

[Dwig]

Who had the first auto focus? Was it Pentax?

'Twas Minolta...
...

A simple answer to a vague question almost always makes you partially wrong.

"first auto focus"?

Minolta was first in two ways:
First to ship a production camera with AF - this was a P&S using the Honeywell AF system and not an AF system developed by Minolta.
First to ship a production SLR with an integrated AF system in the body - this was the first Maxxum model.

They were beat to market by several manufacturers who offered lenses with their own built-in AF systems. Some of these were totally self contained, like the offering from Pentax, and some relied on a special body to provide power and activation, like the Nikon F3AF system.

 

[wgp1987]

My camera cost 5 times as much as most Olympus gear. I'm a snob. I'm not qualified to answer these questions.

wow ... thanks for the input? nice to know that you think you are cool :lmao:

 

[Derrel]

Theoriginal poster's question was, "Can a slr system directly based on the digital aspect of photography with great glass be major competition with aps-c and full frame sensors??? or will the olympus cameras be only a compact solution to the consumer who wants better quality without lugging around larger equipmenmt. What do you think?"

Well, it seems that Oly is not very competitive with either Canon or Nikon,and the small sales figures for Oly's 4/3 d-slr cameras prove that the 4/3 format does NOT provide "major competition" with aps-c or full frame cameras. The way I see it, 4/3 is too small of a sensor for selective focus on people photos and for other types of photos where one wants the option of shallow depth of field. Within the range of flash or fill-flash exposures, 4/3 cameras and their short focal length lenses are at or near the hyperfocal focusing distance in may social photography situations. The qualitative "look" of 4/3 images is that of deep depth of field under many scenarios, along with pretty severe apparent perspective distortion on wide-angle photos done in the range of 9-10-11-12mm focal lengths.

The other area where 4/3 cameras REALLY fall flat is in higher ISO shooting. The 4/3 sensor is 225 sq. millimeteres in area; Nikon aps-c is 370 square mm; full frame is roughly 865 square millimeters. The 4/3 sensor cameras are limited to about ISO 800 as their top ISO speed before noise becomes a big problem, while Nikon's D3 and D700 full frame cameras can produce similar images at ISO 6,400. As in many things, a good "small" sensor loses out to a good "big" sensor under many situations. For me, who was raised on 35mm film, the 4/3 format reminds me a lot of the 110 film format--too small for ultimate quality, and cursed with lenses so short that there's a lot of apparent perspective distortion,combined with excessive depth of field under many shooting situations.

I think there's a reason that even with the low,low prices on OLympus d-slr bodies, that Canon and Nikon outsell Olympus by a huge margin.

 

[wgp1987]

Theoriginal poster's question was, "Can a slr system directly based on the digital aspect of photography with great glass be major competition with aps-c and full frame sensors??? or will the olympus cameras be only a compact solution to the consumer who wants better quality without lugging around larger equipmenmt. What do you think?"

Well, it seems that Oly is not very competitive with either Canon or Nikon,and the small sales figures for Oly's 4/3 d-slr cameras prove that the 4/3 format does NOT provide "major competition" with aps-c or full frame cameras. The way I see it, 4/3 is too small of a sensor for selective focus on people photos and for other types of photos where one wants the option of shallow depth of field. Within the range of flash or fill-flash exposures, 4/3 cameras and their short focal length lenses are at or near the hyperfocal focusing distance in may social photography situations. The qualitative "look" of 4/3 images is that of deep depth of field under many scenarios, along with pretty severe apparent perspective distortion on wide-angle photos done in the range of 9-10-11-12mm focal lengths.

The other area where 4/3 cameras REALLY fall flat is in higher ISO shooting. The 4/3 sensor is 225 sq. millimeteres in area; Nikon aps-c is 370 square mm; full frame is roughly 865 square millimeters. The 4/3 sensor cameras are limited to about ISO 800 as their top ISO speed before noise becomes a big problem, while Nikon's D3 and D700 full frame cameras can produce similar images at ISO 6,400. As in many things, a good "small" sensor loses out to a good "big" sensor under many situations. For me, who was raised on 35mm film, the 4/3 format reminds me a lot of the 110 film format--too small for ultimate quality, and cursed with lenses so short that there's a lot of apparent perspective distortion,combined with excessive depth of field under many shooting situations.

I think there's a reason that even with the low,low prices on OLympus d-slr bodies, that Canon and Nikon outsell Olympus by a huge margin.

thank you for an edjucated response good sir! lol .... this whole thing was sparked by the olympus pen camera they just released .... i can definetly see myself owning one. i wonder if nikon or canon will follow them into a compact d-slr .... even tho they will be unable to make an slr as small (i think, because of sensor sizes ... unless canon makes a 4/3!)

as the technology of digital photography advances i can only sit back and be amazed ..... i dont want to know what it will be like in the next 5 years, but i am looking forward to it!

 

[wgp1987]

Our local Sears portrait studio uses The Olympus E-1. I was very surprised to hear that as it is only a 5.5MP camera and they do quite large prints. I dont know what that means in this case, but just figured Id chime in with that.

Mark

well tell sears to stop sucking wang ..... lol

 

[Don Kondra]

OLYMPUS developed every part of its digital interchangeable lens-system SLR camera for digital applications. Using the new Four Thirds System, this is a totally new digital SLR camera system, based on a new design and development concept taking full advantage of the native strengths of the digital camera. The Four Thirds System breaks completely from today's 35mm SLR camera lens systems. Employing a new interchangeable lens developed specifically for digital cameras, the system is based on an optical design suited to the characteristics of digital cameras. The aim of this new system is to provide lens optics that deliver superb image quality, by harnessing the full potential of the image sensor, in a compact package offering superb handling and mobility. OLYMPUS is helping to create a new culture of digital photography, by offering a new digital SLR camera system suited to the digital era.

In general, current digital SLR cameras with interchangeable lenses are based on the lens systems of conventional 35mm SLR cameras. As a result, they must be equipped with large image sensors, comparable in size to those used for 35mm and APS film. However, because the imaging characteristics of these large CCDs are fundamentally different from those of film, a number of issues can prevent them from achieving their full performance potential. These include: (1) Although film is capable of responding to light striking the surface at a high angle of incidence, a high angle of incidence can prevent sufficient light from reaching sensor elements at the periphery of a CCD and result in reduced color definition, particularly when shooting with wide-angle lenses. (2) To achieve the resolutions required by the micron pitch of today's CCDs, the demands of optical design tend to result in the use of larger and heavier lenses.

We explored the ideal balance of image quality, size, and system scalability in great detail, and arrived at the 4/3-type image sensor size as the ideal combination. By using a lens designed specifically for digital cameras based on the 4/3 size, we are able to deliver image quality and mobility surpassing anything available to date.

Cheers, Don

 

[wgp1987]

OLYMPUS developed every part of its digital interchangeable lens-system SLR camera for digital applications. Using the new Four Thirds System, this is a totally new digital SLR camera system, based on a new design and development concept taking full advantage of the native strengths of the digital camera. The Four Thirds System breaks completely from today's 35mm SLR camera lens systems. Employing a new interchangeable lens developed specifically for digital cameras, the system is based on an optical design suited to the characteristics of digital cameras. The aim of this new system is to provide lens optics that deliver superb image quality, by harnessing the full potential of the image sensor, in a compact package offering superb handling and mobility. OLYMPUS is helping to create a new culture of digital photography, by offering a new digital SLR camera system suited to the digital era.

In general, current digital SLR cameras with interchangeable lenses are based on the lens systems of conventional 35mm SLR cameras. As a result, they must be equipped with large image sensors, comparable in size to those used for 35mm and APS film. However, because the imaging characteristics of these large CCDs are fundamentally different from those of film, a number of issues can prevent them from achieving their full performance potential. These include: (1) Although film is capable of responding to light striking the surface at a high angle of incidence, a high angle of incidence can prevent sufficient light from reaching sensor elements at the periphery of a CCD and result in reduced color definition, particularly when shooting with wide-angle lenses. (2) To achieve the resolutions required by the micron pitch of today's CCDs, the demands of optical design tend to result in the use of larger and heavier lenses.

We explored the ideal balance of image quality, size, and system scalability in great detail, and arrived at the 4/3-type image sensor size as the ideal combination. By using a lens designed specifically for digital cameras based on the 4/3 size, we are able to deliver image quality and mobility surpassing anything available to date.

Cheers, Don

what is that from?

 

[Don Kondra]

OLYMPUS E-SYSTEM:Four thirds system

 

[wgp1987]

OLYMPUS E-SYSTEM:Four thirds system

o0o0o0o0o manufacturer propaganda, i was wondering where i read that before lol. i like oly cameras, i think a few years from now they will be very good (even tho they are now!)