help with camera choice

I have the chance to get a Olympus Camedia E-10 for under $300. it looks like a good deal to me but I wanted to get everyone’s thoughts on it. I may be joining you guys :p

Thats a deal for a DSLR. I have a Nikon F3 SLR that origanally belonged to my dad from the 1970's now I use it. I dont have a DSLR but in my opinion, that looks like a camera to buy.

From www.dpreview.com

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse10/



It looks like a good camera, but it is not an SLR, and it is rather out dated. Its based on old technology that was inferoir to canon and Nikon at the time, so its even more out dated now.
3 years is a long time for digital technology.

However for $300 its not a bad buy, depending of course on what you want to use it for.

It has a very slow max shutter speed which will limit how creative you can be with it, i.e in bright light you will be stuck at F8-11 which virtualy eliminates your control of Depth of Field.
If you don't know what DOF is, or don't care then its not a problem.

It also, accoding to dpreview, suffers from noise at even low ISO, and dosn't have a particulary good dynamic range.
If you only plan on useing it for holiday snaps and pics of family and friends then this won't be a problem, but again if such things are of interest to you then you might be better off looking at a newer camera, or an old Nikon or canon DSLR from the same period. Of course this generates other problem, like needing lens etc.


If your serious about getting into photography as a hobby then I would recomend looking at something newer that gives you more controll, and wider range of settings to use. Either a new Canon A series (A95, or A80 if you can find one) or a new or used G series would be IMO be the ultimate choice.
While they don't have a big lens sticking out the front they will give you much greater control of your photography, and ultimatly should enable you to take better photographs.
Olympus make the C series cameras which are similar, the C-5060 or C-5050 would be a good alternative.
Nikon have some models in the coolpix range that are similar as well.

Thanks moppie that helps a lot. Everywhere I read said its a real SLR why do you say its not? http://www.outbackphoto.com/reviews/equipment/Olympus_E10/E10_review.html (just one place I have read it).

Im not into photography yet I have had my eye on the Canon EOS 300D for a while but could not afford it, a guy at work has the Olympus and Im basically buying this guy a canon A95 and he’s giving me the Olympus, would I be better off just getting the A95 for myself? He let me barrow it and so far I love it but Im just playing around, I have not had any problems with noise even at higher ISO. I did not plan on getting a new camera yet this just came up and for the price it seems like a pretty good deal not to pass up. This is really going to be a training cam in a way, if I like photography I will move up to the 300d or better and if I don’t Im out 300 and still have a camera for vacations.

Yeah I thought the A95 was around the same price. (in US$??)

If thats the case then ask yourself why is this guy selling the Olympus and replacing it with the A95?

Its because the A95 is the better camera.

SLR is Single Lens Relfex, its a bit of a meaningless term with regards to Digital, as the LCD can show you exactly what you would see if you were looking through a view finder.
The main idea behind an SLR is you don't have a view finder seperate from the lens. Instead you look through a view finder that looks through the lens, with a mirror between the film/sensor and the eye piece, in theory it shows you exactly what the lens will see and allows you to set focus accordingly.
When you press the shuttter button the appature is set and the mirror flips up exposing the film/sensor as the shutter opens. It then flips back down again.
The E-10 uses a prisim instead of a mirror so you get a view straight out of the lens, making it SLR like. However there is not the ablity to switch and change lens, something tradtionaly associated with SLR's. Also the ablity to set focus manualy (the main advantage to an SLR) seems limited in the E-10, making the Trough the lens view nothing more than a gimmick and sales trick.
SLRs also should have the sensor/film directly behind the lens, anything that gets between the subject and the sensor/film can have a negative effect on image quality, and the E-10 uses a prisim which must effect the quality in some negative way.

If you just wanted a camera with a big lens that looked pretty to take some nice photos of your family and friends then it would be an excellent buy.


However since you mentioned you want a training camera then I don't think its what your really looking for.
While it looks like an SLR its not, and I have to wonder if its wanting an SLR that is making it look so attractive to you.
Unforunatly I think that if you buy it and you discover you really like photography then you will soon find its low shutter speeds and limited control as well as poor image quality (in relation to newer cameras) will not be what you need.
And likewise, if you deciede that photography is not your thing (and I know you won't, its addictive) you will find that its simply to big and complex for use as a holiday and family camera.


The A95 (or similar) however will give you all the control and image quality you will need as a beginer, allowing you to learn the basics before moving up to a proper DLSR, as well as being compact and easy enough to use for use a holiday camera.

moppie's right about the e10. i've used it a bit myself when a friend had one a while ago. there is no optical path through the lens from the viewfinder. in the viewfinder there is a small display.

i found it to be very unusual to handle (wacky, counter intuative design for an ex fuji and canon user) and quite combersome. both mine and the then owner's biggest gripe about it was how incredably slow the processor in it was. it would take an age to do anything compaired to either my 10d or g5. also, don't even think about buying olympus accessories for it! damn they are expensive.

i don't know about the prices where you live, but in the UK, you can get the g5 for £330 (~$500). it's a stunning little (ok, not quite so little) camera. there are many occasions where i'll use it in preference to my bigger 10d (dSLR)... such as using duct tape to attach a camera to the front of a car (see innovative photography thred). :) this is an ideal camera for a beginner. it has a fully automatic mode so you can just use it as a point and shoot(!) but it really comes into it's own with the level of manual controls you have, so there's scope for you to grow as you develop as a photographer.

if that's a bit too pricey, the whole canon powershot range of camera's (well the g's and a's) would be ideal for a beginner. i'm sure a nikon user can suggest a few comparative nikon models.

just remember, that it's YOU taking the picture and not the camera. yes, you need to have the functionality to control the camera so you can capture the picture the way you want it, but that doesn't mean you have to buy the most expensive equipment to do it. like many things in life, you fit the tool to the job.

Thats a deal for a DSLR. I have a Nikon F3 SLR that origanally belonged to my dad from the 1970's now I use it. I dont have a DSLR but in my opinion, that looks like a camera to buy.

My dad has a F3 SLR. the update is I got the E-10 but the guy dont like the A96 and wants an E-10 again so after playing around with my moms A60 I may trade him back.

LOL!

And personaly, I think you will get the better deal out of it.

While it would be nice to have the long zoom on the E-10, you won't miss it when you discover how fast the A95 is.
My A80 is twice as fast at locking focus, setting apature and shutter speed then taking the photo than my A40, and from reading the reviews on dpreview the A40 is faster than the E-10.
The A95 should be even faster still.