Which upgrade from E-5** series? (1 Viewer)

I currently own an Olympus E-510 and have been pondering which is the best upgrade route from it now. Fortunately, I cannot actually afford to upgrade at the moment so this is purely academic. It seems that the range is a bit confused now and paying more does not necessarily buy a better specification.

The E-3, as the top of the range model, is weatherproof (although it needs at least the weatherproof Pro lenses to take full advantage of this feature), has the biggest and brightest viewfinder and the strongest build. It has fewer pixels than the newest models (which may or may not be a disadvantage), slightly inferior dynamic range and is heavier, bulkier and expensive.

The E-30 has a bigger viewfinder than the E-510 (but smaller than the E-3), more megapixels, very good IQ (according to some reviews), improved DR and autofocusing. It is a bit heavier and bulkier than the E-510 but lighter and smaller than the E-3. It is not weatherproof. It is cheaper than the E-3 but quite a bit dearer than the E-620.

The E-620 has an better laid out viewfinder than the E-510 and more megapixels. The IQ and DR are meant to be similar to the E-30. The autofocus is more sophisticated than the E-510 but less so than the E-30. It is substantially cheaper than the E-30 and E-3 and is smaller and lighter than both. It has a smaller grip as it uses smaller batteries, which do not last so long.

Both the new models have swivelling lcd screens and features such as the creative filters which do not particularly interest me.

It seems odd that going for the flagship E-3 does not necessarily buy the best camera performance but I wonder if moving to the E-620 would be a sideways move. I am leaning towards the E-30 but wonder if it is worth the extra money for the features it has. Does anyone have any opinions on which would be the best upgrade route now from the E-510?

Ron

Hi Ron,

I would go with E-30...

Hi Cristian. As I said, I too am leaning towards the E-30 at the moment. The price has come down steadily recently and Amazon are now selling it for around £760 sterling. I like the idea of the bigger viewfinder, with the info at the bottom, and the more sophisticated autofocusing system. It would also accept my present batteries (a small point but they are not especially cheap). Hopefully the price will continue to drop, so it may become affordable in a few months.

By the way, you appear to be getting some great results from the 50-200. It would look very nice on the front of an E-30!

Ron

"It would look very nice on the front of an E-30!"

Yeah, for the moment, I don't have money for photo gear...

I've no experience of these cameras but do feel that an improved AF system is worth paying good money for. I guess you need to weigh up the advantages of the AF system against the extra cost and weight. Why not pop into the showroom at WHE and have a play with them, it will tell you more than the reviews can.

postcardcv said:

I've no experience of these cameras but do feel that an improved AF system is worth paying good money for. I guess you need to weigh up the advantages of the AF system against the extra cost and weight. Why not pop into the showroom at WHE and have a play with them, it will tell you more than the reviews can.

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I would agree with Peter. But, (as I suppose you already know, Ron) to take a benefit from this improvement of the AF system you'll have to upgrade your lens too...

Since you say this is academic, I think I'd wait awhile and wait to see what develops.

For one thing, the E3 is getting old and almost certainly will be replaced in awhile.

Also, the E-620 seems to be experiencing early growing pains, with noise issues. Although it has a sensor similar (the same?) as the E-30, squeezing it into that small body seems to have taken its toll. They will surely improve its performance.

So I'd wait for an E-4 or the E-630, or even a 12MP E-530 (assuming they don't discontinue that line, seeing as it is very similar to the 6xx line, but without that nifty swiveling screen).

In the short term, the price of the E-30 has been controversial since it was introduced. Olympus even said it was under review, from what I have read. So, seems like you should at least wait for the price to come down some (more than just because it is a new model and selling close to list).

(I have an E-520)

Ron, since your not ready to purchase you have time on your side,,

since my E3 will be two years old this October I have been thinking about a change and reviewing the mkt,, when I am ready I do believe I will buy a top of the line pre owned,, I have most always bought new and seeing what some of the one year old pro cameras now offer is very tempting,, I know what I need on a camera so the newer bells and whistles are just extras that I will seldom use,,

interesting if you review how we use our cameras today how little has changed since the film days,, I love being able to float the ISO and having the darkroom on my computer but so much of my camera usage remains the same as I did during the film days, shooting aperture and manual settings,,

it is interesting to see what the next model offers and all the critique on the forums but when tested the increase in photo quality is marginal, if any, unless your into printing 16" and larger format,,

if cash were no problem I would be shooting through a new Hassy,,

Derry

Many thanks for your replies. Derry, I agree with your point about all the unnecessary features which they insist on adding to the new models, which will never get used. Your E-3 is mercifully free of Creative Art Filters etc. I find that when I am shooting birds there is precious little time to play around with settings. I normally leave it on Aperture Priority and only adjust the ISO, aperture and EV as required.

My main disappointment with my present camera is that it tends to blow the highlights in bright, contrasty conditions. I usually try to get around this by under exposing slightly and sorting the Raw file out later. This is not ideal and a better dynamic range would definitely be welcome. Perhaps the next generation of cameras will be better in this respect.

I, too, was brought up on film cameras, where models such as the Olympus OM series would remain current for years, rather than months. They would also retain some residual value too. These days digital cameras are regarded as disposable commodities. I suppose this adds weight to your idea of buying top of the range pre-owned. (If they can sort out the highlights issue.)

I will carry on with the E-510 for the moment and see what Olympus introduce in the future. Perhaps the money could be saved towards better glass instead but that is yet another question to ponder over.

Ron

NoSpringChicken said:

My main disappointment with my present camera is that it tends to blow the highlights in bright, contrasty conditions. I usually try to get around this by under exposing slightly and sorting the Raw file out later. This is not ideal and a better dynamic range would definitely be welcome. Perhaps the next generation of cameras will be better in this respect.

I will carry on with the E-510 for the moment and see what Olympus introduce in the future. Perhaps the money could be saved towards better glass instead but that is yet another question to ponder over.

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From what I've read clipped highlights seems to be an issue with the 4/3rds sensors. It has been suggested that the smaller pixels needed give a small dynamic range, odds on this will improve with time though I suspect the DR of 4/3rds will lag behind those using larger sensors for sometime.

I'm a big believer in glass first, assuming your camera is working well enough () then upgrading glass should have a great impact than upgrading the camera.

I think some of this talk about poor dynamic range with the 4/3 sensor is myth. For example, look at this page on the DPreview review of the new Canon DSLR:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos500d/page17.asp

I think people are disappointed in the DR they get from most DSLRs, but when it happens with an Oly, they figure it is because of the sensor (because of all the talk), but in fact they would have gotten similar results with most DSLRs (maybe not with one of the very high-end full-framers).

RAH said:

I think some of this talk about poor dynamic range with the 4/3 sensor is myth. For example, look at this page on the DPreview review of the new Canon DSLR:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos500d/page17.asp

I think people are disappointed in the DR they get from most DSLRs, but when it happens with an Oly, they figure it is because of the sensor (because of all the talk), but in fact they would have gotten similar results with most DSLRs (maybe not with one of the very high-end full-framers).

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Interesting stuff, as I said I was only going on what I'd read (I seem to remember it coming up in dpreview's reviews of the E410 or E420 that I read recently). It would be interesting to see a comparisons of various models from the same manufacturer to see if DR is being improved, the results of the E620 suggest it might be.

I am still undecided whether the E-30 or the E-620 is the better camera to buy.

The E-620 has been receiving some excellent reviews and it seems the IQ is very nearly on a par with the E-30, although in his review of both cameras Wrotniak seems to think that the E-30 just has a slight edge. The focusing might be a bit faster and more accurate on the E30 as it is more sophisticated. This would be very useful for bird photography with a longish lens. The LCD screen on the E-620 is meant to be slightly better.

The weight difference between the two cameras is 200g. However, I have seen some people complaining that the smaller grip on the E-620 makes it feel a bit unbalanced with the 70-300 or 50-200 lenses in place. Apparently it is much better with the HLD-5 battery grip installed but this weighs 200g, which eliminates the weight advantage over the E-30. It also costs about £250 and with an extra battery that is more than the present price difference between the two cameras. With a grip on the E-620 its size advantage disappears, too.

I am probably favouring the E-30 at the moment but I am a bit alarmed at the rate at which Olympus is introducing new models and wouldn't be surprised if they dropped the E-30 from their range in the near future. In the meantime I am researching, saving and getting more and more confused.

Ron

Strictly a personal view but I have been using Olympus since the 'ahem' 1960's based on their weight, compactness and ability to take photographs that please me and others.

I do own an elderly E-1 with battery grip base and a few pro-lenses; but the outfit that works for me most of the time includes the E-620,70-300, 35mm macro, 9-18 and other lightweight lenses, the 70-300 is balanced on my left palm and isn't a problem.

The items I wanted that aren't as good as the E-3/E-30 are the viewfinder, battery comonality/capacity with the E-x, E-XX, E-500 series, and the shower proofing of the E-3. The other item that may be worth considering is the focussing speed of the more expensive E's with the right lenses fitted, I don't need this and can't justify the price.

I am sure that Olympus and everyone else will continue to bring out improved offerings far more frequently that most of us need or can afford. The E-510 gave me in-camera image stabilisation when I needed it for a tricky wedding shoot, the 620 gave me a tilting lcd for macro work, at the moment I don't need a lot more other than a few lenses I can't afford.

The E-30 is a bit better in terms of spec than the E-620 but not enough to make any real difference to my photographs. If I were buying purely for long lens work the E-30 would have been my camera of choice. However, if you think the E-30 is about to be dropped why not try and bag one being sold cheaply when it happens (if the rising prices don't get in first).

Best of luck whatever you choose - perhaps an E-630???(havn't heard of it yet so don't worry), but my OMs are still going strong!!!

J

Ron, I agree that the E-620 or E-30 are the best current choices, but, as I mentioned above, I think if you can you should wait a bit longer and see how things shake out with Olympus. How much longer can it be before the E-4 shows itself?? And you'll know whether the E-30 will stick around in a while too, and meanwhile the price will drop some more.

I really think they made a mistake with the E-620 with the smaller grip and battery. Even though I have very small hands, I really like the grip on the E-520 - it just feels great and supportive and perfect (did I mention I like it?). They should have used the same grip and battery on the E-620 as the E-520, and just added the higher-res sensor and great swivel screen.

Seems to me that Oly hasn't learned the lesson from their super-zoom days when they essentially lost the market they created to other companies because they concentrated on making the superzooms smaller and smaller while the competition was making them large and more DSLR-like. I'm not saying that Oly shouldn't make small DSLRs, since it is their niche and they have to do something to fight Canikon, but sometimes they go too far, IMHO.

Anyway, maybe the E-630 will fix this (or maybe you like the smaller size and hope not), and it will surely have better noise handling.

Rich