Which Olympus is better? - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L IS USM

06/16/2007 05:30:20 PM · #1

A local store is having a really big sale on cameras and I am probably going to buy my first Dslr :)
I am wavering between Olypus E410 or Olympus E500 at the moment any Lol. Could change my mind when i get there!
So which one is better?

photokariangel

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

06/16/2007 05:37:29 PM · #2

Well, being a fellow Olympus LOVERRR, i heard that the Olympus E500 is a great camera. I havent heard anything on the E410. But thats me, im sure others know more about it!

weegi70

Olympus 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital ED

06/16/2007 07:15:41 PM · #3

the E-500 is a great camera. i am not 100% sure of the specs on the 410 but i do know that it has image stabilization, and that is a big bonus... but you can compare on the Olympus webpage. i think the 410 might be better than the e-500...

Beautiful-Joe

Olympus Stylus 770 SW

06/16/2007 07:19:28 PM · #4

E500 Is a VERY nice camera.. But I'm not sure about the E410 either. You sure can take some pretty pictures with the E500 though..

sabphoto

Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+

06/16/2007 07:21:48 PM · #5

compared

well other than price and pixels there are a few. If it was me and I had the money I think I would go with the newest, but don't get me wrong I love my e500.
eta: I have to find out what that new sensor is and what's the difference is.

Message edited by author 2007-06-16 19:25:49.

GinaRothfels

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Olympus 8mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital ED Fisheye PRO Lens

06/16/2007 07:26:32 PM · #6

Originally posted by weegi70:

Actually the 410 has a live view screen but no stabilization. It is the 510 that will have both features. I don't think it's available in too many places yet.

RainMotorsports

Nikon D60

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

06/16/2007 07:26:55 PM · #7

Originally posted by joynim:

Or the E-510, the E-500 is an older model then the E-410. But it does cost more then either due to it being new.

briantammy

Olympus PEN E-P3

Konica Minolta MF 85mm f/1.7

06/16/2007 07:27:16 PM · #8

here is a guy that seems to know a bunch about the olympus cameras.

link

as for myself, I like mine pretty well, but I can't give you a comparison from personal experience as the E-500 is the only one i've ever used. but check the link. this guy seems very knowledgable and does lots of comparisons and also can give a great rundown and comparison on the lenses available.

jonr

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Olympus 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 M.Zuiko Digital ED

06/16/2007 09:55:08 PM · #9

Get the 410. It has an updated focus system.

option

Nikon D200

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

06/17/2007 01:19:53 AM · #10

I was playing around with a 410 today, and was very jealous of the compact size. Either Pentax needs to make a model that small, or Oly needs to start making pancakes... Aside from the bizzare strap placement, I was very impressed with it (my friend bought a K100D tho... muahaha)

nephoto

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

06/17/2007 01:47:58 AM · #11

I'm actually responsible for a 410 firmware update :) I discovered you can't adjust exposure after achieving focus lock in manual mode at the seminar I was invited too.

That being said, the 510 that is already shipping will have in body image stabilization so any lens you put on it will therefore be stabilized. It is also much nicer to hold than the 410 as it has more of a grip where the 410 is almost a flat square.

Olyuzi

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH

06/17/2007 04:08:32 AM · #12

Hi,
The E-410 and E-510 are the new cameras that have been released by Olympus in the past couple of weeks and the E-500 is about a couple of years old and is now being sold at sale prices to make room for the new ones. Hard to say what's better as that can be a subjective decision based on various factors but I will briefly give you a run down on their highlights and drawbacks.

The older and new models are built around different sensors (really the heart of a digital camera) and so provide different strenghts and weaknesses of image quality and features. The older E-500 has a Kodak sensor that is very good for producing outstanding color, is 8 megapixels, but produces considerable noise at high ISO settings. The E-500 is an entry level DSLR and is Oly's best selling model at the moment. It's also feature rich and when purchased with kit lenses you get the old 14-45 and 40-150 lenses. (More on that in a minute.)

The E-410 is a much smaller body than just about any other DSLR out there today and is being sold with the newer kit lenses, which have the same focal lengths as the older ones, but are much smaller physically, and have plastic lens mounts. There is some debate amoungst Oly fans as to which are better optically but the newer lenses are about a third of a stop slower than the older ones.

The E-410 (and E-510) are manufactured with Matsushista (Panasonic) sensors and the consensus as to the quality of the image they produce is still not decided because they are too new. Some have said that they produce flatter color than the Kodak sensors, but also have much improved noise characteristics at high ISO settings without smearing detail. These Panasonic sensors are also 10 megapixels (really not a big difference from the older Kodak 8MP sensors) and also provide a much newer feature called Liveview, which essentially allows you to use the rear 2.5" LCD screen as a viewfinder. It's great for doing hard to frame macro shots and also has a neat feature for enlarging the the image size on the LCD screen 10X so that you can focus more accurately when using manual focus. The only other camera that has liveview is the Canon 1DS MKIII, the E-500 does not have it.

(It should be noted that Olympus optical viewfinders are smaller than the competitions' because the sensors they use are small compared with other manufacturers.) This is something you have to experience in the stores before you purchase and compare with other manufacturers offerings to see if you can live with an Oly viewfinder or prefer another manufacturers'. But the Liveview rear LCD screen partially makes up for it's weakness.)

You may also want to consider the Oly E-510, which is also made with the Panny sensor, but is a larger camera with Liveview, as well as, in-camera image stablization, which makes all your lenses image stablized and eliminates the need for tripod support for slow shutter speeds unless you are shooting at greater than about a second.

To make comparisons a little easier for you, here are the reviews by Phil Askey of DPReview. He gave the E-410 and "highly recommended."

E-410
E-500

06/17/2007 04:40:33 AM · #13

I ended up getting the E500 sadly for me it's all about what was on special.
I played with the E410 it is alot smaller and doesnt have the good grip.There also did seem to be a shutter lag with the live view.
For NZD $1699 I got the E500 camera body 14-45mm, 40-150mm & 35mm macro so I'm hoping I got a good deal ;)
Battery charging up now got any good advise?
Thanks all for your helpful comments it was good to go in abit more knowlegeable :)

sabphoto

Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+

06/17/2007 05:02:31 AM · #14

Originally posted by joynim:

congratulations and welcome to the club!!! now go edit your profile to reflect it lol.

I was really impressed with the battery life, I wish I'd known it was so good before I bought the second battery lol but it is good having that safety net. I went to an event today and took over 150 images and my battery still has tons of life left. I know a lot of it has to do with not having the live preview and I also turned off the preview of the shot after it is taken but that was mostly cause I was doing continious shots and didn't care to see them.

It sounds like you got a good deal but I'm not sure how that translates to us dollars and you got a macro lens too...sweet. I also enjoy having the ability to have two different cards in the camera, especially since I had CF cards from my older oly.

Message edited by author 2007-06-17 05:03:36.

06/17/2007 05:13:39 AM · #15

Lol forgot about profoile done that now :)
Out of interest i converted price and it comes to $1279 USD

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III

06/17/2007 05:20:09 AM · #16

LOl that price does'nt include the bag,xtra battery etc etc.....!

colorcarnival

Olympus 45mm f1.8 M.Zuiko Digital Micro Four Thirds

06/17/2007 09:32:46 AM · #17

Originally posted by joynim:

LOl that price does'nt include the bag,xtra battery etc etc.....!

Yipes! That's too bad.

It was about price for us too, and I have to say that i really love the e-500. I don't have anything else to compare it to tho, so I am not gonna be much help there.

Good luck in your search!