Nikon D40 vs. Olympus E510 or E330
I’m planning on buying my first SLR (a digital). I hope to learn a lot about photography in the next year and eventually specialize in doing actor headshots, dog sport photography, and pet photography.
I want to buy a relatively inexpensive camera to learn on, but also one that I will be able to use as I transition to being a professional. I’m trying to decide between the Nikon D40 and one of the Olympus cameras (E-330 or the yet-to-be-released E-510).
Here are the questions that I still want to know the answers to in order to make my decision.
Sensor dust. Is sensor dust is a big problem when changing lenses alot? Is it simply a matter of blowing the sensor with a hand blower to clean it off? Or does it eventually become a real pain to constantly be removing it with software? Is this a good enough reason to ditch the Nikon for the Olympus?
Image stabilization: For what I’m trying to do, is this important? I plan on doing most of my shooting in good light, but would like not to have to use a tripod most of the time. Is it better to have image stabilization on the camera (like with the not-yet-released Olympus E510) or in the lens (the Nikon 55-200mm)? Does Olympus have similar vibration reduction lenses?
Aspect Ratio. I’ve heard that for headshot photos a 4/3 aspect ratio works better because there’s less cropping for the actor standard 8x10. But does shooing in this aspect ratio make your photographs seem less professional than those using the old film aspect ratio?
Any comments would be greatly appreciated!
Re: Nikon D40 vs. Olympus E510 or E330
Quote:
Originally Posted by simonharvey
Sensor dust. Is sensor dust is a big problem when changing lenses alot? Is it simply a matter of blowing the sensor with a hand blower to clean it off? Or does it eventually become a real pain to constantly be removing it with software? Is this a good enough reason to ditch the Nikon for the Olympus?
I have never had a problem with sensor dust with my Canon DSLR. Its not really that big of a deal but several makers (Nikon?) now have a "shake" that dislodges anything that is there. IMHO, Not enough to choose Olympus over Nikon.
Quote:
Image stabilization: For what I’m trying to do, is this important? I plan on doing most of my shooting in good light, but would like not to have to use a tripod most of the time. Is it better to have image stabilization on the camera (like with the not-yet-released Olympus E510) or in the lens (the Nikon 55-200mm)? Does Olympus have similar vibration reduction lenses?
In-lens works better than in-camera but in-camera is more convenient and cheaper.
Quote:
Aspect Ratio. I’ve heard that for headshot photos a 4/3 aspect ratio works better because there’s less cropping for the actor standard 8x10. But does shooing in this aspect ratio make your photographs seem less professional than those using the old film aspect ratio?
In these modern times, it always amazes me that people worry about the aspect ration. You can print any size paper you want, you do not have to force an image to conform to a certain size. By the way, a "professional" photograph is a photograph produced by a professional, it has nothing to do with the size of the paper he/she uses.
I would look at more cameras than the ones you listed. Pentax has excellent choices as does Canon. Sony (the old Minolta) is also worth a look. I'm not a big fan of Olympus but that is irrelevent here.
Re: Nikon D40 vs. Olympus E510 or E330
I have an Olympus E500 and have not had sensor dust problems either. I change lenses quite freqently too. I think that image stabilization would be well worth the investment since it isn't that much difference in price. The newly released E410 doesn't have it but the E510 will, with only $100.00 difference in price. The price of the E500 has been dropping some since the E510 is on it's way in. It would be a great camera to learn on. One other thing you might consider is what kind of studio flashes will you use? The Olympus cameras only have the hot shoe for external flashes.
Also consider the price of lenses the Zuiko lenses are quite pricey right now. When you buy camera you are investing into a system more than just buying a camera. If it were me I would go with a camera with the IS technology.
Search the reviews here at PR and you will get a better idea of what you might need. I hope I helped some.
Greg