Oly to Nikon

[bchyeo]

Anyone here had ever thought of moving away from Oly to Nikon? Especially after the D700 is out? Just curious about it...

[egnaro]

Originally Posted by bchyeo Anyone here had ever thought of moving away from Oly to Nikon? Especially after the D700 is out? Just curious about it...

this is not a good thread to post... anyway unfortunately not for me... reason is, I love the lenses Olympus produce.

but I must say, Nikon produce good camera body...

[bchyeo]

Originally Posted by egnaro this is not a good thread to post... anyway unfortunately not for me... reason is, I love the lenses Olympus produce. but I must say, Nikon produce good camera body...

I must apologise if this thread caused any discomfort. I too love the lenses that Olympus produce. And yes, Nikon does make good camera bodies. My brother is trying to make me "jump ship" and his D700 is really really very tempting.

[egnaro]

nothing wrong to switch, but remember to make your decision wisely. I bro oso ask me to switch since i 1st buy my Olympus. lol...

[aryanto]

New camera body model comes out every year. Good lense comes out like .. um ... once in a very long time.
Pick your choice.

[OMlegacy]

No need to jump ship. You can always have the best of both worlds just swap system with your brother.

No point collecting too many digital toys these days, obsolete too fast.

Originally Posted by bchyeo I must apologise if this thread caused any discomfort. I too love the lenses that Olympus produce. And yes, Nikon does make good camera bodies. My brother is trying to make me "jump ship" and his D700 is really really very tempting.

[bousozoku]

Originally Posted by bchyeo I must apologise if this thread caused any discomfort. I too love the lenses that Olympus produce. And yes, Nikon does make good camera bodies. My brother is trying to make me "jump ship" and his D700 is really really very tempting.

I'd thought about it as recently as the D300 and E-3 but I'd find it difficult to match my Olympus lenses or those above them.

[dorts]

Definitely tempting. But as always, the Zuiko Digital lenses keep people from jumping ship.

[blurboiboi]

Actually it really depends on what you want, what you shoot....
I would not say Oly produces bad bodies.... in fact they have GREAT bodies just that its sensor size has its own limitation...
I was using oly switched to canon and now back.... not sure about nikon but unless you shoot greater than iso 800... you would not find any significant advantage in a full frame body.... for me I shoot mainly from 100 to 800.... I must say in this iso range oly produces stunning colors direct from cam.... canon's is abit on the dull side whereas my friends' D300s abit too warmth... of course different ppl has different preference... i shoot jpeg mainly....
and the IS... oh manz.. how much I missed it after i switched.... I shoot mainly Macro thus its a very useful/important feature to have..... and the 12-60's range is so much more useful than my previous 17-55...
at the end of the day... its really what you want...

[phyrewall]

Originally Posted by aryanto New camera body model comes out every year. Good lense comes out like .. um ... once in a very long time. Pick your choice.

I agree with aryanto. I wouldn't jump ship to Nikon (or even Canon) for 3 reasons:

1. I'm brand loyal to Olympus
2. I'm quite happy with the lens that Olympus has
3. More importantly, I believe that a "better" camera body doesn't necessarily mean I'll be able to take "better" pictures. The camera is just a tool. It's the photographer behind the camera that counts.

[kitfox-sg]

i only wish Oly had cheaper prime lenses like the 50 1.8 or 1.4.

Other than that, for a price to price comparison i really like what oly camera bodies offer.

That, with the ZD lens range is enough to keep me satisfied for quite some time.

It all depends on what you're looking for in a camera. 10 MP is more than what i need, and i need IS, weather sealing and fast AF more than anything. Lens ranges are also important to me, having a reasonably fast and sharp 24 - 120 (in 35mm format) kit lens was one of the main reasons i chose olympus. The 35-100 F/2 is unlike anything others have to offer and the 50-200SWD, for it's price is also a very good buy.

[Mikefellh]

Originally Posted by phyrewall I agree with aryanto. I wouldn't jump ship to Nikon (or even Canon)

In my own case I originally rejected both Nikon and Canon in the first round of choices...nothing either company has brought out since (or now) has made me doubt my decision or change my mind.

[SleepingIdol]

I almost want to switch to N**** & C####, not once, twice but thrice... but again as someone mentioned, Zuiko lenses are superb and not many choices (which is actually advantage, no headache as all are in 'order').

So, instead of putting my budget on another extra body on other brand... might as well gear towards these lenses which I desire... ranking 1 is most prefered..

1. 14-35mm
2. 12-60mm
3. 50-200mm

Of course, need to sell my existing lenses....(ooppps... side track...)

[microcosm]

If I have windfall, say, win $20k at the IR Marina, I will definitely go for Nikon D700 and Zeiss F-mount lenses! No doubt about it... this will be my SECOND SYSTEM. I will keep Olympus for sure... and the E-System is worth its weight in gold...

I will not jump. But D700 has come a long way in technology which I am starting to appreciate...

[VR Man]

Originally Posted by microcosm If I have windfall, say, win $20k at the IR Marina, I will definitely go for Nikon D700 and Zeiss F-mount lenses! No doubt about it... this will be my SECOND SYSTEM. I will keep Olympus for sure... and the E-System is worth its weight in gold... I will not jump. But D700 has come a long way in technology which I am starting to appreciate...

Wah tempting TEMPTING!

D700 w ZF lens slurp

[wong_se]

Originally Posted by bchyeo Anyone here had ever thought of moving away from Oly to Nikon? Especially after the D700 is out? Just curious about it...

nope. I moved from Nikon to Oly. Especially the quality of Zuiko lens.

[flashpacker]

I jumped from Canon to Oly after seeing the color tone on Asian skin and the body IS.
Considering Oly makes microscopes, the Zuiko lens are really good and reasonable price-wise.
Hope to see more Oly users.

[pisduck]

I jumped from oly to the D700.

I used to own an E1, E330, E510 with various lens like 14-54, 50-200, 50mm at various times.

I now have a D700 + 105mm VR + 24mm prime

mmm.... well, the two major adv of the D700 to me is
1) ISO. The high ISO capabilities is very good. Even at ISO6400.... and the auto ISO implementation is also very good allowing u to take adv of the high ISO capabilities easily. No need to change setting when the light becomes worse.

2) the AF is also very good I think. 51pts. It is actually quite complicated the way the AF algorithm works. With auto mode, tracking mode, etc.
Example, when shooting my baby's face closeup, I just leave it at auto mode cuz it is hard to track the eyes with the center pt as the baby moves. The AF will just focus and flash which AF points are in focus, usually regions with details like the nose and eyes. With 51 points, there is bound to be one point on the eyes/nose. It is MUCH easier than setting the point at the center and trying to focus on the eyes with the baby turning, etc... and if you are not spot on, u end up on the cheek the focusing loses contrast and runs amok.


What do I miss? The live view implementation in E330... and the in body IS. Also the 24mm f2.8 prime is quite bad at the corners. I must stop down to f8 to get good corner performance.

The main thing about the D700 for me is low light, high ISO. To be able to shoot indoors at 1/80, f2.8. something is not possible for Olympus.


Do I regret jumping ship? mm.... dunno leh. I think the colors of olympus is still very nice, and the shots I taken with the E510+50mm macro is quite nice, especially the colors. The D700+105mm macro weighs like 2-3 times more heavier and 2-3 times more expensive....

Of course, if you get the D700 you can buy lens like 24-70mm f2.8... and AFS 50mm f1.4 which I don't think olympus have anything comparable in their system.

[microcosm]

Originally Posted by pisduck I jumped from oly to the D700. I used to own an E1, E330, E510 with various lens like 14-54, 50-200, 50mm at various times. I now have a D700 + 105mm VR + 24mm prime mmm.... well, the two major adv of the D700 to me is 1) ISO. The high ISO capabilities is very good. Even at ISO6400.... and the auto ISO implementation is also very good allowing u to take adv of the high ISO capabilities easily. No need to change setting when the light becomes worse. 2) the AF is also very good I think. 51pts. It is actually quite complicated the way the AF algorithm works. With auto mode, tracking mode, etc. Example, when shooting my baby's face closeup, I just leave it at auto mode cuz it is hard to track the eyes with the center pt as the baby moves. The AF will just focus and flash which AF points are in focus, usually regions with details like the nose and eyes. With 51 points, there is bound to be one point on the eyes/nose. It is MUCH easier than setting the point at the center and trying to focus on the eyes with the baby turning, etc... and if you are not spot on, u end up on the cheek the focusing loses contrast and runs amok. What do I miss? The live view implementation in E330... and the in body IS. Also the 24mm f2.8 prime is quite bad at the corners. I must stop down to f8 to get good corner performance. The main thing about the D700 for me is low light, high ISO. To be able to shoot indoors at 1/80, f2.8. something is not possible for Olympus. Do I regret jumping ship? mm.... dunno leh. I think the colors of olympus is still very nice, and the shots I taken with the E510+50mm macro is quite nice, especially the colors. The D700+105mm macro weighs like 2-3 times more heavier and 2-3 times more expensive.... Of course, if you get the D700 you can buy lens like 24-70mm f2.8... and AFS 50mm f1.4 which I don't think olympus have anything comparable in their system.

The AF is the reason why I am disappointed... very interesting how it worked for you. The very fine "AF grid" causes mis-focusing many a times in my work... and it kind of frustrates me. The E3's AF is rock solid. I never have had misses so far... fingers crossed. Your review of the AF makes me a little confused. (Then again, it can also be my mistake since I have not been using the Nikon AF system for so long... so this is really something that I might have to get used to).

Regarding the 50mm f1.4, on 4/3 its the Panny-Leica 25mm f1.4. Granted, there aren't that many alternatives in the 4/3 family of lens line up, but what they have I can use. The additional depth of field is critical for me in my line of work in events coverage. On the D3, to achieve the depth of field of f5.6 on my E-3, I will have to set it at f8 or f11, which is a pain because it uses more flash power and thus causes longer recycling time. Granted, I can bump up the ISO... which still retains much of its dynamic range even when set at a ridiculous high setting which Olympus cannot deliver as yet in their current line of camera bodies.

The reliability, AF speed and range of the 12-60mm SWD (with the E-3 body) is something that is holding me back from switching to a Nikon D700 as main body for events work. D-3 with 24-70mm is nice, but not for me because it weighs a ton.

[pisduck]

I came from the older oly bodies like E510, E330 with the 3 pt focusing system.

I am not a pro, just amateur for fun. So I think some of the AF options in D700 is very convenient like Auto mode. Granted I do misfocused on some shots as the D700 chooses the wrong points to focus on, but most of the time it is correct and it is very convenient function. Of course if you are a Pro and u NEED to get that shot right with no retakes, cannot use Auto mode lah.

Another AF option is 3D tracking whereby u start focus with the center point with the subject at the center, and when you recompose, the active AF point will shift to track your subject and shows u on the viewfinder the new active AF point on the side. And once you shoot and the image review appears on the LCD, with a single press of the ok button, u can magnify the final active focus point region to check focus. Of course the tracking is not full proof but I thought it is a pretty neat implementation.

But I notice that under low light, only the center point is good. I have a feeling that the outlying points are not as sensitive as the center point.

The zuiko system does not have the thin DOF of the 50mm f1.4 full frame. If you want similar DOF on the D700 you can always stop down 2 stops and bump up the ISO 2 more stops. I think the D700 ISO6400 is comparable to the ISO1600 of olympus. So you get the best of both worlds. Or if you can tolerate the thin DOF of 50mm f1.4 FF, it allows to shoot indoors in 2 more stops of light than the 25mm f1.4 panny due to the D700 ISO adv which is pretty significant.

There are real adv of the D700 but u pay in terms of weight and price, both of which is significantly higher.

PS: I like the LCD of the D700. it is really much better than the older ones.