My coll wanna buy an E1

[major_tom]

Just psycho my coll., who's venturing into the DSLR world, to get an E1.
He wants a brand new E1 so need help on any urls in the US that still sells it.
thanks!

[holidaydom]

Why an E1?

Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic camera but for a first time DSLR, wouldn't one of the newer DSLRs be better? Say the E510 or E410?

And even if you're set on the E1, why not wait a couple of months when the new pro-body E3 is released!

[drakon09]

Current E-1 prices may appeal to him a lot more than the E-3 release price.

You can try amazon.com or cameta.com - but I'm not too sure if they are still available, they should be though.

[major_tom]

I have 'evil' intentions actually...I just wanted more blokes to join the Oly camp.
Actually, to pay S$1k+ for an entry level DSLR, I feel that getting an E1 would be a better buy....there are far too many pluses compared to those plastiky dSLRs out there.
Yes, they are good but an E1 outperforms most of them.
Of cos, if you wanna compare megapixels then these new models will trash the E1.
But it's not just megapixels, right???

[drakon09]

Of course it's not about megapixels - unfortunately the average consumer only considers megapixels.

The 5mp on the E-1 is just about the best 5mp you can ever get.

As nice as the images I get from the 410, the E-1 images are just that little bit better.

[major_tom]

checked cameta & amazon.....nothing....
I still missed my E1 though...

Kept aside my Jan bonus for the E3

[drakon09]

I know that cameta still has stocks at their store... maybe they're not selling online anymore...

[Blu-By-U]

Try across the border...It's still listed.
http://www.olympusimage.com.my/produ...72685_824.html

[monkeyjopaw]

was musing about this:

so the e-3 is coming out soon. would it be worth it for me to upgrade from an e500 (i own currently) to an e1 (since i guess a lot of people will be selling to get an e-3).

will it be worth it?

[Blu-By-U]

If you do not mind the 5mp, it would be a gem of a camera. Weatherproof, built like a tank, silent and complete with vertical grip.

[major_tom]

no luck. was helping my coll surf the net for a new E1 .....cameta, ebay, amazon, b&h, adorama.....boh huay....

[tunghk]

why not get it used instead. I think considering the built quality, the cam will probably last him another few more years (physically at least)... I did not really done any comparison but I thought the technology of E1 is already quite old and built quality and MP aside, can it really produce better pictures compared to the newer cams like E410/E510?? My guess is it will probably be beaten by the newer cams or else, it just goes to show that Olympus has not really improve in terms of image processing technology....

This is just my off the cuff opnion... Maybe really wrong!!!

[wong_se]

Originally Posted by tunghk why not get it used instead. I think considering the built quality, the cam will probably last him another few more years (physically at least)... I did not really done any comparison but I thought the technology of E1 is already quite old and built quality and MP aside, can it really produce better pictures compared to the newer cams like E410/E510?? My guess is it will probably be beaten by the newer cams or else, it just goes to show that Olympus has not really improve in terms of image processing technology.... This is just my off the cuff opnion... Maybe really wrong!!!

Define "better picture". Do your mean more megapixel equal to better picture ?

If we are to compare colour reproduction, accurate white balance, and dynamic range, E1 is head and shoulder to e330/410/510. And I could even say that it also beats all others brand entry level DSLR as well.

[wind30]

I used to own an E1.

I now own the E330 and E510 and 10meg has it's adv especially if you need to crop.

The only adv of E1 I guess its the built and auto WB and MAYBE more DR. Other than that, I prefer the E510 over the E1 for

1) IS,
2) live view,
3) auto ISO,
4) lighter,
5) 2.5 inch LCD,
6) highlight spot metering assignable to AEL button,
7) 10 meg pixel ya 10 meg pixel actually got use sometimes, for cropping

All the above are pretty impt reasons to get the E510 over the E1. Especially the IS and live view which allows you to take shots otherwise not possible handheld.

The IQ of the E1 is pretty good for its time but 5meg is really limiting if you want to crop.

[wind30]

Originally Posted by wong_se Define "better picture". Do your mean more megapixel equal to better picture ? If we are to compare colour reproduction, accurate white balance, and dynamic range, E1 is head and shoulder to e330/410/510. And I could even say that it also beats all others brand entry level DSLR as well.

color reproduction/WB is STRONGLY dependent on the raw developer. If you use 3rd party ones like ACR or silkypix not much adv I guess.

But if you use oly studio, E1 does give great colors. as for the DR, I guess E1 is better than err... E510 but I don't think it is close to 350D due to the fact that the shadow noise of the 350D is significantly better.

[OlyFlyer]

I'd get a brand new E-510 long before a second hand E-1. Or why not a brand new E-330? Those are quite cheap as new today. The E-1 may be better built, quiet and weather sealed, but face it, it is old. And I really mean old. It may be able to produce top quality images, but only up to 5MP. There are many situations where 5MP is just not enough, but I agree, megapixels is not everything. Even so, 100% increase from 5 to 10 makes a difference. Not to mention IS and live view, larger display, new functions, faster processor, faster file transfer, pop-up flash (for emergency), better high ISO and other advantages for the favour of E-510.

I would not get, or advise anyone to get a second hand pro camera for several reasons, one very important is that any pro usually uses a camera more than others. Many times, pros don't handle cameras as carefully as others. However well buit the E-1 is, if it is used by a pro it may be at the end of its life. Changing the shutter costs a fortune, which all pro here can verify. There is not even any warranty about the shutter actuations, since Oly can have reset the counter if the camera was in for service. If I ever get a second hand E-1, it will be from a person I personally know, or it should be so cheap that one can not refuse. By cheap, I mean in the range of a cheap P&S camera.

Just my 2c regarding used E-1, and E-1 in general. I would maybe consider a brand new E-1, but only since I am experienced. A person who is just starting with dSLR, I think will be disappointed with it, missing the IS, high ISO and the LV, which he/she might have got used to in a P&S before.

[major_tom]

i guess Olyflyer and wind30 do have valid points seriously worth considering.
Since he's new to dSLR, the new features on the later models might be more user-friendly to him.

feedback. Thanks

[OlyFlyer]

Anyway, just in case, here is a link. I think new E-1s are hard to find...

http://www.digitaldepot.co.uk/Digita...duct_info.html

I have no idea if they ship and what it would cost in that case.

Good luck, not an easy decision. It is important not to push too hard, you might recruit an Oly owner, but to get an enemy near you is not good, in case he/she will not like the camera. I tried to convince my boss, when he was asking for advise, but I gave up because he was at the same time talking luke warm about Canon. At the end, he ended up with a Canon, and I think it is better this way. If he is unhappy, he can definitely not blame it on me.

Better for my career.

[drakon09]

If your friend is new to photography, then the E-1 will present a steeper learning curve than the amateur models.

On the other hand, the E-1 will present your friend an opportunity to really learn photography (no crutches available).

[OlyFlyer]

Originally Posted by drakon09 If your friend is new to photography, then the E-1 will present a steeper learning curve than the amateur models. On the other hand, the E-1 will present your friend an opportunity to really learn photography (no crutches available).

I have to disagree with you. If a person is used to P&S, the learning time should be considerably shorter with E-510. Even more so, if the person has no experinece at all. There is no way you can convince me that one can learn all about photography more with and E-1 than an E-510, or the coming E-X. There is absolutely no connection between Oly "amateur models" as you call them and the pro model(s) in regard to better learning and understanding photography. In that case, he/she should not start with digital at all, and should get an all manual film OM-1 only.

A few good books, a burning desire to learn, and a lot of shooting is all what it takes. How good he/she becomes depends on the vision and the learning capacity, not on the camera.