NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
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
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