Olympus E420 and the 4/3 system

NikonsandVstroms

I stopped by a store again and messed around with the e420 and unlike every other DSLR even after a few minutes of shooting and holding it My hands weren't hurting:barb

So tomorrow I think I'm going to order one and take the little step up from my Nikon s600 as my primary camera. I'll be getting the kit with the small zoom lensand sadly not the pancake......yet.

So my main question is about the system itself. What specific things, should I be aware of what this sensor compared to the Nikons im used too? and if anyone has examples of landscapes from either this camera or one of the other bodies sharing its sensor those would be great.

Also any suggestions on future lens purchases,especially ones that are lighter weight, and I've heard that the four thirds system works really well with adapter rings for other lenses, and if anyone has experience with that.

hamster

I have an E-500. You can look at my page in my sig, all of the photos were taken with it. I love the camera. On the 4/3 system, a 50mm lens would be the equivalent of a 100mm on a 35mm camera, so the crop factor is 2x instead of 1.6x or so (that might be Canon, not sure about Nikon) The sensor is smaller. Some people think anything over ISO 800 on the small sensor makes the images overly noisy, but I haven't had a problem with it.

Anyway, I've heard great things about the quality of the 420, and the 520 is coming out next month, but I believe the body is bigger than the 420.

NikonsandVstroms

hamster wrote:

I have an E-500. You can look at my page in my sig, all of the photos were taken with it. I love the camera. On the 4/3 system, a 50mm lens would be the equivalent of a 100mm on a 35mm camera, so the crop factor is 2x instead of 1.6x or so (that might be Canon, not sure about Nikon) The sensor is smaller. Some people think anything over ISO 800 on the small sensor makes the images overly noisy, but I haven't had a problem with it.

Anyway, I've heard great things about the quality of the 420, and the 520 is coming out next month, but I believe the body is bigger than the 420.

Thanks, especially liked the "no parking" shot in the street photography, and what lens where you using for the flowers?.


As for the 520 image stabilization would be great, but it has an extended grip, which is my problem for holding basically all SLR's right now

hamster

For the flowers I use the 50mm macro lens. It's my favorite. Try it out at the shop when you get the camera - it's a higher quality than the kit lens so the glass is heavier, but small enough to be light.

You'll be happy with the kit 14-42 lens. It's super light, and very sharp in my experience.

anwmn1

I shoot an E-500 and an E-300. I like the system though like any it does have some short falls. Overall I am happy and will stay with Olympus- hoping to be into an E-3 at years end.

You are welcome to look though my site as well.

swintonphoto

The E-420 looks like a fabulous camera. No one else really has anything quite like it.
I have been a happy Olympus user for years. I currently have an E-500 and an E-510. They are wonderful. Packed with features, really easy to hold, not too bulky, and the lenses are unbeatable.
Depending on your needs there are many great lenses to consider. If you haven't already looked here, this is a great site with information on 4/3 gear:
http://www.four-thirds.org/en/index.html

I have the 14-54mm 2.8-3.5 lens. This is a great standard zoom lens. Fast, wider aperture and weather sealed.
I also have the 50-200mm 2.8-3.5. This is an amazing size for the punch it packs. I love it. It is a real work horse for me.
The 35mm macro lens is also great. If you like macro work, you cant beat its price. It is sharp as a tack too.
I also recently acquired the Sigma 10-20mm wide angle lens and have gotten some great results from it as well.

The 35mm macro is really light weight and compact. The 14-54 2.8-3.5 is very lightweight compared to similar lenses from other manufacturers. The 70-300mm zoom is pretty lightweight as well for its range. The 18-180mm is a good all-in-one lens that is really quite small as well.

If you have specific questions about lenses or other gear I would be happy to give some more input.
Happy shooting!