anyone here use olympus?

[Joel A]

I've been looking at olympus DSLR's lately and they seem like a really solid product. The E-520 or E-620 both do pretty much everything that i would want, and i've heard that there lenses are arguably the best optics available at all price points.

One thing i personally find very appealing about the 4/3's system is that the 2x crop factor can turn a fairly light and compact 70-300mm lens into a 140x600mm lense which would be great for a budget telephoto lens.

However i'm not sure how these cameras and lenses work while photographing reef tanks. I assume that you'd want a macro lens for reef tank photography? If so, how would there 50mm F2 ED lens work, or even the 35mm F3.5?

Most of the great reef tank photographers you see around here use either Nikon or Canon, and it seems that the majority of DSLR owners use either Nikon or a Canon, but the olympus cameras seem to stack up quite nicely against the Nikon's or the canon's as long as you're not comparing them in low light conditions . Luckily i don't think the high noise displayed by the olympus DSLR's will have much if any effect on reef tank photography?

What do you guys think?

 

[t5Nitro]

I have always seen pros with canon and nikon. To me that makes a statement, but I have no information on the olympus line.

As far as having the best optics at all price points, there are other companies out there that far exceed canon and nikon glass. I'm not sure how olympus compare with them.

Maybe someone with more info can chime in, but I know at my work they don't favor olympus very much.

 

[Joel A]

I have always seen pros with canon and nikon. To me that makes a statement, but I have no information on the olympus line.

As far as having the best optics at all price points, there are other companies out there that far exceed canon and nikon glass. I'm not sure how olympus compare with them.

Maybe someone with more info can chime in, but I know at my work they don't favor olympus very much.

I've always seen pros with Canon and Nikon too.. but Professionals aren't shooting with the Nikon and Canon consumer/prosumer models, they're shooting with the professional bodies.. meaning the either very high end cropped sensor cameras, or the full framers. I think if i had the budget to go full frame or very high end professional cropped frame, i'd go Canon/nikon too, but then we're talking a lot of money, especially if you pair it with a high quality lens.

What do you do for work where they don't like olympus cameras?

 

[BlueCorn]

See the sticky up top.

Oly makes a fine camera. They don't perform at high ISO as well as Canon or Nikon but what they have going for them is the best live view system out there and the 4 3rds lens system makes the lenses inexpensive and light weight.

They are a pretty small body so go check one out and see how it fits your hand before ordering one.

Cheers

 

[BlueCorn]

I
One thing i personally find very appealing about the 4/3's system is that the 2x crop factor can turn a fairly light and compact 70-300mm lens into a 140x600mm lense which would be great for a budget telephoto lens.

Not quite right. You get the effective magnification of a 140-600 but it's still a 70-300 as far as depth of field, scene compression, field of view, etc....

 

[Rhizo]

I'd chime in my .02 on Olympus. If it matters I am a new Canon shooter. If it was not for the high FPS I needed, I would still remain a Pentax shooter. No bias coming from me.

I like their Zuiko glass a lot. Even the lower end (if I can call them that) lenses perform pretty amazing. Their lens lineup is designed specifically for the sensor, and nothing more besides their bodies.

I used to be subscribed to a blog that used Olympus. There wasn't an image I did not like. He posted how his teen nephew used his gear once. I was shocked to see how the images came out even with a complete camera noob on the trigger. I'll try to find it right now.

Pictures tend to come out on a boxy form. (you either hate it or love it) Odd to explain but you can look this up online no problem.

Another thing I should point out most of the Olympus owners I know have a 2 lens kit. For them its all they really need. This can be a good thing depending on your budget.

 

[dendronepthya]

I shoot a Canon 5D mk II with all L glass as well as a Panasonic GF-1 micro 4/3. A friend of mine is a Olympus shooter with an e-620. The Olympus lenses are very good, and the 4/3 format has a very nice 25mm Leica summilux in addition to several good Olympus brand lenses. The in-body image stabilization on the Olympus is nice as well.

To back up some of what beerguy mentioned, the 2x crop factor is just that. CROP. You are not getting any more reach out of the lens, you are just cutting away most of the periphery so your viewing angle resembles what a focal length 2x longer would look like. That bird really far away is still really far away regardless of whether you are looking at it with a 300mm Canon on a full frame (1x) camera or a 300mm 4/3 (2x) camera. With the Canon's 1x crop factor though, you see much more around the bird while the 2x camera does not.

I disagree with him on the live view of the Olympus being the best. It is certainly better than the Canons and Nikons, but Panasonic just came out with a live view system that simply blows my mind. It can autofocus about 3x as fast as the Olympus which in turn is about 3x as fast as my Canon.

Olympus sensors are pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but pretty good. The latest Canon and Nikon sensors at high ISO outperform it by quite a margin. My friend's e-620's ISO 800 looks like ISO 3200 on my Canon 5D. If you use a tripod, this won't make much of a difference because you can shoot everything at ISO 200, but if you are hand holding, you may have to bump up the ISO even though you have image stabilization.

I like Olympus a lot. If they make a micro 4/3 camera like their EP-2 with autofocus that rivals the Panasonic GF-1, I probably would buy it. The image stabilization that the Olympus bodies provide is no joke.

 

[Jacob D]

I would def. check into the Oly and Pentax entry level cams. Like the others mentioned, they don't necessarily have the IQ of the competing Canon and Nikon, but they find other ways to compete. For example, Panasonic's latest entry level dslr can shoot ~ 5 fps... I'm not aware of any others that do that.

 

[Garage1217]

I am no pro, but I have always loved olympus cameras! Photos have always been outstanding.

 

[aktopjian]

I have the e-510 that came with the two lenses and really like it. Have not tried a nikon or cannon though. Have not tried to take any pictures of tank with it but ill try in a while and post some pictures.

 

[Rhizo]

I could not find the blog, but found another link that I had in the mix.

Often most people tend to fall into the " I need pro gear " category. Why? IDK beats me. Perhaps an ego problem maybe? Will they use it to its full potential? Not likely

I'm sure you have read the phrase of the camera not making the photographer by now. Just some inspiration to think about. :thumbsup:

http://photo.net/photodb/presentation?presentation_id=317651

 

[dendronepthya]

The reason I bought my non-pro Panasonic GF-1 is because my pro Canon 5D weighs a ton. Sometimes the best camera is the one you take with you.

 

[Rhizo]

Dendro I'm with you. I bought a spare T1i for normal trips. I got made fun of, but after I pointed out who was using " El cheapo 18-55 " well... :lol:

 

[Joel A]

Well i'm thinking of going with the 520, simply because the e620 is a bit smaller (which worries me) and it doesn't add any extra features that i really need to have. I'd like to have the slightly larger viewfinder of the e620 over the e520, but i can live with it.

What do you guys think of the ZD 50mm F2.0 Macro? I'm thinking that would be a pretty good lens to take some fish reef shots with, especially for the price?

 

[dendronepthya]

The 50mm 2.0 macro is optically excellent.

 

[Joel A]

The 50mm 2.0 macro is optically excellent.

good to hear . How is it mechanically? Any reason why you said "optically excellent" instead of just "excellent"? lol..

I also really like the SWM 12-60, but that's a general purpose zoom, which i'm assuming isn't quite as qualified for tank shots as a fast F2.0 macro lens?

 

[dendronepthya]

It's build is ok. When you compare it to a really well built lens like a Leica, no it's not that great, but it's a consumer-grade build which is good enough for 90% of the shooters out there. I don't foresee the lens falling apart or anything, but it's not some metal and glass monument at the end of your camera either.

Most important thing is, it will take great pictures for you

 

[dendronepthya]

double post

 

[Joel A]

It's build is ok. When you compare it to a really well built lens like a Leica, no it's not that great, but it's a consumer-grade build which is good enough for 90% of the shooters out there. I don't foresee the lens falling apart or anything, but it's not some metal and glass monument at the end of your camera either.

Most important thing is, it will take great pictures for you

yeah, well running about 500 dollars i wasn't expecting a Canon "L" series build quality out of it .

Surely the build quality is a step up from an olympus kit lens though, right? I'd hope so at least...?

 

[GaryR1984]

I have the E510 and I've been looking for a Macro Lens to use and practice with, I can't justify paying $500 for a lens to play around with, are there other options that are cheaper?