Choosing a dSLR

[DavidK]

Dear everybody,

I have gotten into photography since I bought a digital compact camera some years ago. Now I want to take it up a notch. I don't know much about lenses, but I would like to make macro and regular photography (landscape etc) to start off with (maybe in the future also tele lense). What kind of lenses would you recommend? Because I don't know much about the prices either, I have not yet thought of a budget, but I don't want it too expensive to begin with.

I am very interested in the canon 400D. Due to the new 450D it is well within my budget ( less than €500-€600 for the body ), and everywhere on the internet I can find positive reviews. The problem, however, is that I will share the camera with my father who says he needs Live View (digital view on the LCD) , because he won't be able to see well through the regular viewfinder as a result from the multi-focal glasses he wears. Would this really be a problem?? And if so, what kind of dSLR would you recommend with Live view?

I am eager to hear from you!

Thank you for your time

[DavidK]

Would a Olympus E-510 a good option?
Is it smart to buy it now or wait until the E-510's successor is released?

[Franglais]

Nobody answered. The problem is probably LiveView, which is new to DSLR's. Olympus have had it for a while, alond with an anti-dust system that really works, tiny body, Olympus looks great on paper. It's just that :

1. Nikon and Canon dominate the DSLR market. Olympus are struggling with Sony and Pentax/Samsung to be in the top 5
2. The Olympus sensor is smaller than the other manufacturers and has more noise.
3. There are fewer lenses available for Olympus than the others (no independent manufacturers)

If you want to satisfy your father then go for a Canon 450D - but get him to pay the difference with the 400D

[Photo-John]

I think the Olympus E-510 would be fine. It may have more noise than the other cameras. But that doesn't make it a bad camera. I have happily used it, as well as the 400D and 450D. However, I wonder if Live View will really be that useful for your father. It limits focus functionality and personally, I only use it for studio work. An optical viewfinder is better for most kinds of shooting. I wear glasses when I shoot, although not bifocals. So, I would try to talk him out of the Live View. Maybe take him to a dealer and have him try shooting with an optical viewfinder. Or, as Charles suggested, have him pay the difference, if you really want the Canon.

[DavidK]

OK thank you for your reply John and Franglais, it's helpful.
I took my father to a store where they sold the 400D so that he could try to look through the optical viewfinder. He said it was a bit blurry and then I tried it too and it was blurry (yes, we did focus ;-) ). I don't know whether that was because of the cheap kitlens or, as came to thought later when I got back home, because somebody had touched the lens with his/her greasy fingers.

[Frog]

Did he/you adjust the diopter thingy for the viewfinder?

[Greg McCary]

The 510 is a great deal right now.The in camera image stabilization is amazing. The image quality is great too. I have no issues with it. I am looking to upgrade to the E3 soon.

[DavidK]

Did he/you adjust the diopter thingy for the viewfinder?

Affirmative

[rongarrett]

You need for your father to try the live view on a Sony Alpha 300/350. It is worlds easier to use than most other DSLR'S. A simple flip of one switch takes you there with no sacrifice in focusing. The 300 is 10mp and not much more than the Canon. See my remarks in the Sony section.

Landscape photography from a tripod is actually much more enjoyable using the live view function, IMHO.

[DavidK]

But I've read that it's better to stick to the bigger brands such as Canon and Nikon, because they have more lenses and more experience in photography. Not too sure about Sony...

[Justintoxicated]

I totaly have my eye on the e520, They are pre-selling it on amazon right now. 11.8MP with 10MP effective, improved Liveview and IS. Olympus has been around for year and years as well. I have bought all canons in the past, and while they are a great system I really think I'm ready for something else where you get more for the money. If I was pro I would probably stick with Canon or Nikon and buy $3k lenses n such. But I'm not, and even buying a nice lense like the 14-54 or 12-60 might be overkill for me. It has improved sensitivity since it uses the E3 sensor (or it is supposed to).

[Photo-John]

But I've read that it's better to stick to the bigger brands such as Canon and Nikon, because they have more lenses and more experience in photography. Not too sure about Sony...

That's sort of true. But if you aren't a pro and aren't going to need every possible lens variation, it probably doesn't matter. And Sony has been coming on strong. Their DSLRs are getting great reviews. I reviewed the first one, the A100, when it came out. And I was really impressed with what they'd done with their first entry into the DSLR market. They bought a lot of patents from Konica Minolta before the started making digital SLRs. So all those old Maxxum lenses also work, and you can consider the Sony bodies a continuation of the long-lived Minolta Maxxum series. Finally, like the Olympus bodies, the Sonys have built-in image stabilization, a feature that I think is invaluable.

[DavidK]

You've got a good point right there. I wasn't too sure about the Live View of Olympus and the 4:3 ratio. Will take Sony into consideration.

Thank you !

[Photo-John]

You've got a good point right there. I wasn't too sure about the Live View of Olympus and the 4:3 ratio. Will take Sony into consideration.

The Olympus Live View works fine, in my opinion. It just takes one button to access it and it does have auto focus. I haven't tried any of the new Sonys yet. But their Live View AF system is supposed to be the best right now. Personally, I still only use Live View for the studio. So auto focus isn't a big deal for me. I mostly use my EOS 40D in the studio and manual focus everything. But I understand your dad will be using the Live View and good AF will probably be important to him. So that might give the nod to Sony.

[rongarrett]

One thing to remember, as far as how big an electronics company is, Sony is bigger than Canon, Olympus, and Nikon put together. Sony manufactures many of Nikons sensors. They have done several things that both Nikon and Canon have deemed impossible.

I own and use all three brands. Sony has not yet come out with a truly "pro" camera, but has been in the point and shoot camera business for awhile. Canons USA representative has admitted that Sony is their main competitor in the point and shoot venue.

Sony is set to introduce a 24.6 migapixel "pro" camera this year. They have already introduced three excellent "prosumer" cameras this year, {four if you include the "semi pro" A700}. They have the only Zeiss auto focus lenses for DSLR available, {five of them}. My experience with Zeiss lenses is that they are absolutely excellent. There are litterly millions of used Minolta lenses on the market that work fine on the Sony cameras. When Sony announces something is going to be available, it is. No hedging.

From my experience with ordering parts from them, they are twice as responsive, twice as efficient, twice as easy to deal with then either Canon or Nikon.

If you look at Sony's effort in the DSLR business, it is nothing short of amazing.

I don't work for or have any connection with Sony. I just call'em like I see'um.

You have taken the first step towards making an informed decision. I just think it would be a mistake to not include Sony in your evaluations.