What should i choose...Olympus, Canon or Nikon?? Pls share your comment...

[i2wire]

Hi, Im using a Minolta A1 for quite a long time. Now i was thinking of upgading to a dSLR, but after a week of survey from the website( looking though the the reviews) still cant make up my mind. Guys, i need you to share your opinion here. it will be best that you have use different camera brands, and compare the pros and cons in between them. Thanks alot,Buddy!!

[zuikoku]

Fair comparison is shooting on the field for all brands you mentioned.
All of them are quite good indeed for general shooting imo..

[Blu-By-U]

Ahyoo...topic for argument again. Individual taste. Every camera have their own strength and weakness. There is no perfect camera.

If you want a weatherproof then in the 4/3 line up is only the E1(discontinued). If you want Liveview, then Olympus E-330, Panasonic L1 and Leica, cannot remember the model.

You want lots of lenses to choose from then Canon or Sony or Nikon..if you have a couple of old Nikon lens from the 35mm era, then Nikon.

You would be better off reading the thread why we at olympus chose Olympus and similar thread in the various camera dedicated threads then decide from there.

Added old thread for reading. Enjoy.

[Caspere]

Go to Cathay Photo to try out a few the models for Canon and Nikon. Decide for yourself how which brand feels in your hands, and then the budget for the different models.

Incidentally, avoid the salesperson push to other brands. You should be quite safe with either of these two. Once you have decided, GO HOME. Revisit the forums/reviews to "know" each model in terms of features.

If all your friends are using Nikon, by all means go Nikon. You can share equipment like lenses, flash, experiences too.

Buy only a couple of days later, or during special offers, or bundle with friends.

I m using Canon now.

[Blu-By-U]

Forgot..Bring along your laptop. View the picture from your laptop, not the camera's LCD. This applies to all digital camera.

[cjtune]

If you want better quality high ISO shots.. then go for Canon.
Otherwise you'll just have Oly fanatics bark at you "Why didn't you do your homework??" when you complain of the poor high ISO noise at forums.

[drewdam]

Originally Posted by i2wire Hi, Im using a Minolta A1 for quite a long time. Now i was thinking of upgading to a dSLR, but after a week of survey from the website( looking though the the reviews) still cant make up my mind. Guys, i need you to share your opinion here. it will be best that you have use different camera brands, and compare the pros and cons in between them. Thanks alot,Buddy!!

oly system do produce nice colour.... but ..look at my hot pixel issue.

[wind30]

Originally Posted by drewdam oly system do produce nice colour.... but forget it...look at my hot pixel issue.

I owned a KM7D, D70, E1 and now s3pro. ALL my DSLRs has/had hot pixel at certain exposures.

[Red-I]

Well it depends on what you shoot. There is no perfect system unfortunately. Each system has its strengthes and weaknesses. Personally I use two systems. Oly is one of them. Key strengths are the dust buster, Zuiko glass and the beautiful colours. However, it has its weaknesses too. For one, if what you shoot requires long focal length, Zuiko glass is just not affordable. Personally, I'm into birding and the max that I can afford is the 50-200mm, but even with the 2X crop factor and with the EC14, that's too short for birding. The longest Zuiko lens available now is 300mm but at over $10K, the competition is startiing to look attractive. The other weakness of Zuiko lenses is the AF is not as fast, and they still do not have image stabilization. All these are quite important for someone who is into birding. Arguably, there are more choices now in that Sigma is expanding its Fourthirds range of lenses and the bigma (50-500mm) does provide the reach now but then again, the whole point of the Oly system is its Zuiko glass quality, so kind of defeats the purpose.

However, I'm still keeping Oly system because I'm keeping my 11-22mm; this is still the best wide angle zoom in the market. Just compare this against the competition. The optical quality is the best todate. Even the kit lens 14-45mm beats more expensive glass from the competition. I'm using the Canon system only for birding. The better high ISO performance of the Canon also comes in very handy for birding.

Bottom line, one should examine your needs and compare the strengths of each system and choose what suits you best.

Just sharing my 2 cents worth

[nightpiper]

not forgetting soon to be released Pentax K10D. looking very fierce on specs. their older lenses r also very good. as for Nikon old lenses, they can be used on higher end DSLR body cos lower end like D50, D70s & D80 dun support metering on manual lenses.

ask urself what u like to shoot, then look for the model that best suits this need. another important factor is how u like the interface, navigation & handling of that particular model. the Canon 5D feels very good on my hands & it takes very detailed scenery.

(i owned the E1 btw)

[Mikefellh]

For me there is only one choice, four thirds because of the dust reduction system. Other companies like Canon (400d) and Sony (alpha) have tried to come up with an effective dust reduction system, but neither works as well as the Olympus SSWF.

Each camera system has its pluses and minuses, and mine is wasting time editing images to clean up the dust...you have to decide what your own needs are.

Also when picking out a camera handle the ones on your short list...after handling the Canon and Nikon cameras it just made me want to drop them like a hot potato because they felt so awful (for me).

[OlyFlyer]

Originally Posted by i2wire Hi, Im using a Minolta A1 for quite a long time. Now i was thinking of upgading to a dSLR, but after a week of survey from the website( looking though the the reviews) still cant make up my mind. Guys, i need you to share your opinion here. it will be best that you have use different camera brands, and compare the pros and cons in between them. Thanks alot,Buddy!!

My advice is, don't listen to anyone else but yourself. I think this decision is best made alone. The ones you least should listen to is the salesmen, forumsers (like us) and reviews. I think all that is very much biased information, difficult to find out what is based on facts and what is taste or soemthing elese. I think whatever camera you select the important thing is to learn that one, read manuals and other documentation. Once you know your camera and you if selected the one YOU like you'll love that one. I guess all have their pluses and minuses.

I never entered a forum before placing my order, actually I changed my mind just minutes before I placed my order. My first selection was Nikon D70. Then just minutes before I called my dealer to place my order, I entered the Oly site and read about the E-500 and the SSWF and fell for it. I trusted Oly, so actually the first time I held the camera was after I paid for. I still feel it was the right decision, and given the cameras available today I would still place my order the same way. But probably, if I had ordered the D70 I would be writing the same about that camera, even if I sincerely believe the SSWF is the best there is even today. Maybe I would accept the extra cleaning costs with the D70 as something that must be done now and then, just like washing shirts. Those have to paid for when they are new but after that you'll end up paying many times more for washing costs during the shirt's lifetime.

[i2wire]

Originally Posted by Red-I Well it depends on what you shoot. There is no perfect system unfortunately. Each system has its strengthes and weaknesses. Personally I use two systems. Oly is one of them. Key strengths are the dust buster, Zuiko glass and the beautiful colours. However, it has its weaknesses too. For one, if what you shoot requires long focal length, Zuiko glass is just not affordable. Personally, I'm into birding and the max that I can afford is the 50-200mm, but even with the 2X crop factor and with the EC14, that's too short for birding. The longest Zuiko lens available now is 300mm but at over $10K, the competition is startiing to look attractive. The other weakness of Zuiko lenses is the AF is not as fast, and they still do not have image stabilization. All these are quite important for someone who is into birding. Arguably, there are more choices now in that Sigma is expanding its Fourthirds range of lenses and the bigma (50-500mm) does provide the reach now but then again, the whole point of the Oly system is its Zuiko glass quality, so kind of defeats the purpose. However, I'm still keeping Oly system because I'm keeping my 11-22mm; this is still the best wide angle zoom in the market. Just compare this against the competition. The optical quality is the best todate. Even the kit lens 14-45mm beats more expensive glass from the competition. I'm using the Canon system only for birding. The better high ISO performance of the Canon also comes in very handy for birding. Bottom line, one should examine your needs and compare the strengths of each system and choose what suits you best. Just sharing my 2 cents worth

Yup! indeed each system has its pros and cons, personally i like to take wide angle pics and thats why i cant make the decision. Thank you everyone for ur sharing, i will listen to my own voice and CHOOSE WISELY!!

[i2wire]

Originally Posted by Mikefellh For me there is only one choice, four thirds because of the dust reduction system. Other companies like Canon (400d) and Sony (alpha) have tried to come up with an effective dust reduction system, but neither works as well as the Olympus SSWF. Each camera system has its pluses and minuses, and mine is wasting time editing images to clean up the dust...you have to decide what your own needs are. Also when picking out a camera handle the ones on your short list...after handling the Canon and Nikon cameras it just made me want to drop them like a hot potato because they felt so awful (for me).

The Dust Reduction system is 1 of my consideration too...

[drakon09]

Go take a look at photos taken by all three brands.

Get the one where the photos strike you the most.

(Just to quote a certain advert: WE DID!)

[i2wire]

Originally Posted by drakon09 Go take a look at photos taken by all three brands. Get the one where the photos strike you the most. (Just to quote a certain advert: WE DID!)

Mmm... GOOD IDEA!! Thanks Buddy!

anyway, can anyone tell me where to get a olympus at a BEST PRICE?? I knew Lords's Nikon price was very competitive among others... any recommend? 10Q

[drakon09]

Originally Posted by i2wire Mmm... GOOD IDEA!! Thanks Buddy! anyway, can anyone tell me where to get a olympus at a BEST PRICE?? I knew Lords's Nikon price was very competitive among others... any recommend? 10Q

Where are you from? If you're from the US, Cameta is selling Oly at a steal.

[wind30]

Originally Posted by nightpiper ask urself what u like to shoot, then look for the model that best suits this need. another important factor is how u like the interface, navigation & handling of that particular model. the Canon 5D feels very good on my hands & it takes very detailed scenery. (i owned the E1 btw)

you got the 5D? Actually if Canon Singapore can give us US prices, 5D is REALLY attractive lor.

[wind30]

Originally Posted by drakon09 Go take a look at photos taken by all three brands. Get the one where the photos strike you the most. (Just to quote a certain advert: WE DID!)

Ya man. I went travelling with a KM7D, oly E1, and fujifilm s3pro and for unedited pics, the olympus is the BEST in terms of color.

Dunno whether it is the lens or the camera but the color is very nice according to my wife. She basically prints hundreds of 4R photos from each trips and the olympus prints comes out really nice.

If I spend time to edit, I still feel the s3pro has better tonality/color especially in the highlights.

[i2wire]

Originally Posted by drakon09 Where are you from? If you're from the US, Cameta is selling Oly at a steal.

I Stay in JB Malaysia and i went to sg often to get my stuff...