Olympus E-420 or E-510?

[imblest]

I really need someones advice on this one. I am new to the SLR world and I went out to circuit city the other day actually looking for an SP570 UZ but found this E-420 on a great sale with the 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 package along with an extra lens 40-150mm f3.5-4.5 all for $627.00 (plus tax to make it about $665.00) So I went home really quick and looked it up and found that it was something I was interested it. Knowing that deal wasn't going to last long and I wouldn't be able to get it any other day before it was over, I rushed back out and bought it since the store was going to close soon. Well then I played around with it and love it. But then my husband was looking it up online some more and found another great deal....it was the E-510 also with 2 lenses, 14-42mm f3.5-4.5 and the 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 for $617.00 with tax and shipping. So now I'm at a loss. I have about 12 days left to take back the E420 to Circuit City with their return policy and I need to know which is the better deal? Can anyone give their opinion and why they would say that.....like I said, I'm new to the DSLR world, so it may need some explaining. Thank you!!

[dumpy]

It really depends on what you are going to shoot, what your priorities are which one you like using better.

The E-510 ( my current camera) has in camera IS, this IMHO is huge. You can hand held shoot several stops down and not have a blurry image. If you have shakey hands get the 510.

the 420 is smaller, but not by much and may be easier to haul around. The 510 is still pretty small for a DSLR though. The 420 is newer and has the updated sensor, which from what I understand is a decent improvement. The E-520 (update to the 510) just came out and I believe it has this sensor.

I'm pretty sure that both kits have the same lenses.


What store did your husband find the 510 at? There are many online vendors that should be avoided, look in the camera dealer feed back for more info.

Both are great cameras, but I prefer the in camera IS of the 510.

[imblest]

Thank you for replying so soon!! He found the 510 at amazon.com, which we have dealt with many many times and have never had any kind of problem with them. but 2 of the lenses were the same but the telephoto lens was different. Same zoom length (40-150mm) but different fstop.....with the 420 it was f3.5-4.5 and the 510 it was f4.0-5.6...I' kinda understand this number difference in writting but in actual practice I'm not sure if it would really make that much of a difference for me or not in the long run, especially with just getting into it. But, I did go play around with the camera (420) some more today and tested it in low light conditions with and without the flash and found that some pictures just couldn't be taken with it. When I did it with flash, the colors and contrasts just seemed too "flashy" if you know what I mean, it was very obvious that there was some sort of fake light. The flash seemed too harsh and left crazy shadows. (keep in mind, I did everything in complete Auto Mode for this testing) And it looked good without flash (even though of course it was darker) but it was really blurry and I do think that I will mainly be taking photos handheld. So do you think that the IS would outweigh the new sensor in this case...I think I might take it back and go for the 510...if the 510 is a better camera then who cares if the 420 is newer, especially if I can get the 510 cheaper. Let me know your thoughts.....anyone

[Don Kondra]

but the telephoto lens was different. Same zoom length (40-150mm) but different fstop.....with the 420 it was f3.5-4.5 and the 510 it was f4.0-5.6...

The f3.5 is the "old" style lens and is quite a bit bigger than the new style f4.0.

The new style has a ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lens element. Popular opinion seems to be the new style has slightly better image quality but I had both and kept the old style for the lower f rating/low light..

I also recommend the IS (image stabilization) of the 510.

This is a hand held shot with the 70-300 lens on the 510, no way could I have done this without the IS... or a tripod



Hope this helps,

Cheers, Don

[Greg McCary]

I think I would go for the IS with the 510. The 420 offers better dynamic range and a little better image quality but the camera is more suited for someone looking for a small camera. The 520 will be out in August you should consider it as well.

[Don Kondra]

I think I would go for the IS with the 510. The 420 offers better dynamic range and a little better image quality but the camera is more suited for someone looking for a small camera. The 520 will be out in August you should consider it as well.

BTW if price is an issue I would also think the price of the 510 will hold or come down slightly..

Cheers, Don

[dumpy]

Based on the fact that you said you will mainly be shooting hand held and blurry images withe 420, I'd go for the 510. The IS works quite well.

[Photo-John]

Can you wait a bit? The Olympus E-520 is on the way and I think it's a better all-purpose camera than the E-420 or the E-510. I would buy the E-420 if small size is critical. And I might buy the E-510 if money was a real issue. But if you can afford it, the E-520 has much better image quality than the E-510 and Olympus' built-in image stabilization. I have been using the E-520 for a few weeks and I'm really loving it. I've used both the E-420 and the E-510, and if it were my money, the E-520 would be the right choice.

Read my Olympus E-520 preview article >>

[imblest]

Thanks for your advice everyone...

And yes, money is kind of an issue, I was even pushing it getting this camera....like I said, I initially went out looking for the sp570 UZ superzoom point and shoot (knowing that deep down inside I really wanted a DSLR but that they seemed so expesive to even get started into) so I'm not sure that going to the 520 is too practical for me right now...So the main thing is weighing the new processor and better image quality of the 420 (and size a little bit, but thats not the deciding factor) to the IS of the 510. It seems the only real time when it seems to be too much of an issue is in low light settings....I had seen in some reviews of the 510 that the IS wasn't so great in low light settings anyway, is this the case? because if it is, it wouldn't solve my problem anyway.....and what is the "Extra Low Dispersion" of the new lens mean?

[Don Kondra]

It seems the only real time when it seems to be too much of an issue is in low light settings....I had seen in some reviews of the 510 that the IS wasn't so great in low light settings anyway, is this the case? because if it is, it wouldn't solve my problem anyway.....and what is the "Extra Low Dispersion" of the new lens mean?

All camera's will struggle in low light unless you have Great Glass, as in $$$$...

IS has nothing to do with it. Read this.....

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_se...technology.asp

Cheers, Don

[Don Kondra]

More great info here -

Advice on E510 needed

Cheers, Don

[Photo-John]

I'm not sure that going to the 520 is too practical for me right now...So the main thing is weighing the new processor and better image quality of the 420 (and size a little bit, but thats not the deciding factor) to the IS of the 510.

Here's a link to our article on image stabilization. It should help clear up any confusion about what it actually is:

Image Stabilization Guide

I agree it's a tough call between the E-510 and the E420. I think image stabilization is an invaluable feature. Because it helps correct for camera shake, it means you can shoot at lower ISO settings all the time. And that will improve image quality for every photo. On the other hand, I think the image quality of the E-420 is improved enough that the E-510's image stabilization is sort of a wash. And that's why I'd push you towards the E-520. But if you can't afford it, you can't afford it. Then I think the E-420 is the best choice.

[imblest]

I think I'm going to try to get the Circuit City today to take it back. I like the idea of better quality with the 420, but if half of them are coming out blurry then they are unusable no matter how good the quality. I think I'll just have to sacrafice a little bit of quality for now so I can actually get some pictures. Maybe later on down the road, when I'm ready to upgrade, maybe there will be another amazing deal that will give me both. But right now, especially when I'm just getting started, I don't want to be frustrated because half of my shots are blurry. Thanks for all your help!!!

[dumpy]

Not to throw a mutiny on PR, but I will have to at least partially disagree with PhotoJohn. You did state that many of your shots are too blurry to be usable, IS should help with at least some of those, therefore I think you made the right choice with the 510.

You mentioned an upgrade in the future to something that is the best of both worlds. I think that from reading a few of the other posts you can figure out what camera that is. The 520 will eventually drop in price and you will already have lenses for it, so you will only need the body. I just bought my 510 a few months ago and am already trying to figure out when i will buy the 520 (at what price point), it's a natural progression. Or maybe the 530 by then?

[imblest]

Yeah, I agree, and since I am just getting into it, I don't have to have the best one on the market, just one that is a good value that will get me into it and see if it's really something that I enjoy. Then, if I find that I do, then maybe a couple years from now I'll make an upgrade to something that is out that I can use the lenses that I'll already have. By the way, the 420 is back to Circuit City and the 510 is on the way.....now it's just torturous waiting for it to show up after being teased by the 420 ;)