1st Week with E-510

[erikzen]

I bought an E-510 last week and I'm just starting to get th hang of it.

Here is a photo from a recent trip to a local hot dog stand.



I am somewhat overwhelmed with all the options on the camera. Any advice on taking better pictures is appreciated.

To see more shots from this set go to:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikzen...7605254173378/

[xwingkiller]

congrats on the purchase.

this is one great site to learn about the e-510 settings:

http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/43/e510-sett.html

[Dave Smith]

Congrats with your new camera.

I.m sure you will enjoy it

[Tony Figueira]

Welcome fellow olympian, one thing that I think it's going to be the hardest to get used to is the E-510 tendency to blow highlights as it's got a slightly less than average dynamic range. You might want to have a read around the net.

I also advise visiting this link:
http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/43/e510-sett.html

Apart from what I just mentioned above it's a above average in all the rest, I dont hold any regrets buying the E-510 it's a excellent camera to start you off in the dslr world.

[dumpy]

I'll drop a third thumbs up on the Wrotniak article.

I will also say do not waste your money on the " Magic Lantern Guide" (the line of camera specific books available at your neighborhood Barnes and Noble), it is the most useless way I have ever spent twenty bucks.
To me it looks like the author never used an E-510, he just sat down with the Olympus manual and re-wrote it with what he understood of each feature. None of the common suggestions for this camera that can be found anywhere on the web were mentioned (like turning the noise filter off, the tendency of this camera to get noisy at long exposures ect).
Basically it was an E-510 manual with non 510 specific explanations of how a camera works.
I even found some incorrect information.

It was wrapped in plastic so I couldn't read through it ahead of time in the store, but some schmucks gave it good reviews so I bought it. I'm seriously annoyed at how useless this book is.
I wonder if they are this bad for all cameras or if they just half assed the 510 version, the other ones weren't wrapped so maybe they are half way decent.

The Wrotniak article should come in a bound version. I'd spend good money on that

Enjoy the 510, once you learn it's quirks, its a great (and fun) camera to use.

[Kukujang]

Congrats with your camera ...

[erikzen]

Thanks to all for the advice, links, and congratulations. I liked this camera from the minute I picked it up and definitely agree it's a "fun" camera. Not so much so that it feels like a toy, but it's just very enjoyable to use.

I've already noticed the problem with the blown highlights. As you can see in the photo I posted there is a partly sunny sky. I took several shots very similar to the one posted and found that the first shots I took I could not make out any of the details of the clouds. The one posted is not great but it's the best of the bunch that I took.

Although the camera is fun, it can also be a bit frustating. I've taken more bad shots than good at this point, which is understandable with a new camera, but the good shots seem to come more on the preset scene modes than when I try to use the camera manually. I'm wondering why I need to adjust the camera manually at all but I guess the blown highlights is one reason right there. It seems to me though that a lot of photos are going to need a fair amount of post-processing. I'm not against that but I hope there are times when I can get it right out of the box.

I don't quite get all of the settings either. Program mode has me a bit baffled. The manual says it automatically controls the aperture and shutter speed. What's the difference between that and Auto? I'm even more baffled by Program Shift (Ps) that doesn't seem to do anything.

Over time I'm sure I'll be taking better shots but there is certainly a pretty steep learning curve.

[gahspidy]

Thanks to all for the advice, links, and congratulations. I liked this camera from the minute I picked it up and definitely agree it's a "fun" camera. Not so much so that it feels like a toy, but it's just very enjoyable to use.

I've already noticed the problem with the blown highlights. As you can see in the photo I posted there is a partly sunny sky. I took several shots very similar to the one posted and found that the first shots I took I could not make out any of the details of the clouds. The one posted is not great but it's the best of the bunch that I took.

Although the camera is fun, it can also be a bit frustating. I've taken more bad shots than good at this point, which is understandable with a new camera, but the good shots seem to come more on the preset scene modes than when I try to use the camera manually. I'm wondering why I need to adjust the camera manually at all but I guess the blown highlights is one reason right there. It seems to me though that a lot of photos are going to need a fair amount of post-processing. I'm not against that but I hope there are times when I can get it right out of the box.

I don't quite get all of the settings either. Program mode has me a bit baffled. The manual says it automatically controls the aperture and shutter speed. What's the difference between that and Auto? I'm even more baffled by Program Shift (Ps) that doesn't seem to do anything.

Over time I'm sure I'll be taking better shots but there is certainly a pretty steep learning curve.

As others here have offered you, congrats on the new sysytem. Like anything else it will take some time to get familiar with. we have here a great forum for Olympus users moderated by our very own Greg McCary. Give it a look and a post and I'm sure you will come back with a wealth of info.
Good luck with your new system