Which Amature dSLR?

[magicdragon]

Have been a serious hobbist for many years then gave up the hobby and now am thinking about getting back into it. I currently have 3 Olympus OM-1N bodies and several Zuiko lenses.

However I am lost when it comes to dSLR. Yje relatively new Olympus E-300 looks good to me and is within my budget for the Kit (S$1500). I can stretch the budget to S$2000 approx but would need at least one lens and body.

Should I be looking at Canon or Nikon or any other brand? I dont want to post this in the equipment forums as that would require multiple postings - one in each of the respective manufacturer's forum.

Thanks

 

[Ah Pao]

Dunno about the Oly E300, but both consumer DSLR offerings from Canon (EOS 300D) and Nikon (D70) looks good. Personally, since you're starting from a clean slate, I'll recommend the D70 for it's better value for money, although I'm an EOS film user...

You can't use your OM mount lenses on the E300 anyway.

 

[DaNi3L]

Hold your horses if you're getting 300D. It's been discontinued and its replacement will be released soon. Perhaps you might just wanna give a it a little more time before you decided between D70, E300 and 300D replacement.

 

[snowspeeder]

Most important thing is to follow your heart.

 

[theITguy]

Most important thing is to follow your heart.

My heart says I want the 22MP digital back for MF. No wonder my parents got high blood pressure

 

[user111]

eos 10d will do fine

 

[tOGGY]

Film and digital are quite different animals. Study extensively before buying. Talk to a seasoned dlsr user - it will be very fruitful indeed.
The initial outlay, price/performance between film and dslr is also different. Do not rush. Look at what you shoot and buy with care and certainty. The range in the mkt amazing. The rate of new upgrades is even more stunning.
As usual, lens choices is a very important factor. Do not omit studying this before buying. A bit of future proof thinking now will prevent future shock.
No flame intended, just for example, if you choose to continue in Oly way, you may be quite inhibited in lens choices later. Nikon or canon are stronger in this dept.

 

[drumma]

would recommend a second hand 10D and a tamron 28-75 f/2.8. around 2k liao. if u want to wait for replacement of 300D, i'm afraid it might just overshoot ur budget by 200-500. 10D is quite enuff to suffice.

 

[Stoned]

actually i expect the 300D replacement to be priced under 2k to compete with the D70. I dont really expect it to be priced anywhere near the 20D's pricing

 

[ortega]

wait till Xmas when PMA and Photokina are done, any new camera will have bugs and by then it should be fixed and not forgetting the sales. In the mean time use your oly and join photoshoots.
There are still many using film, there is no rush to go digital.

 

[nad]

You can't use your OM mount lenses on the E300 anyway.

That is not true, with the free OM adaptor given by Olympus if you request for it after buying the E300, you can mount the OM lenses to it. Just that metering and focusing is manual.

 

[hammer_400]

go down to a shop, handle the camera's and test them....
don't just buy what seems popular ...
camera's to check out would be the d70, e-300, ist ds and 350d(out march)

 

[magicdragon]

That is not true, with the free OM adaptor given by Olympus if you request for it after buying the E300, you can mount the OM lenses to it. Just that metering and focusing is manual.

Hmm I didnt know that. Then maybe I can use the E300 like a digital back.

Anyways my understanding is (and it may be flawed) that the reason people generally dont use film lenses on dslrs is because of the lack of resolution in the older film based lenses. Is this true?


Thanks for the responses so far and keep it coming please.

Thanks again.

 

[nad]

Hmm I didnt know that. Then maybe I can use the E300 like a digital back.

Anyways my understanding is (and it may be flawed) that the reason people generally dont use film lenses on dslrs is because of the lack of resolution in the older film based lenses. Is this true?


Thanks for the responses so far and keep it coming please.

Thanks again.

chk out the Oly forum here and at dpreview, quite a no. of people getting cheap but super sharp Zuiko lens to use on their E300 and E-1 with very good results.

 

[magicdragon]

That is not true, with the free OM adaptor given by Olympus if you request for it after buying the E300, you can mount the OM lenses to it. Just that metering and focusing is manual.

Nad, I just called Olympus Singapore to check if adapter is free (if one buys a E-300). They said no it aint free. Any comment? Was it a promo thing?