Curious about 4/3

[arbutusq]

Hi folks my name is Steve and I am a nikonian who is very curious (and sorely tempted) by 4/3. I just got back from Mt Baker in Washington State to find that my beloved D70 had a big dust spot in a hard to clone location. Hmmmm anti dust would be nice.

Just here to sate my curiosity, see some nice photos and ask a few questions. And when my D70 bites the dust probably switch back to Olympus.

[lkeeney]

Hi folks my name is Steve and I am a nikonian who is very curious (and sorely tempted) by 4/3. I just got back from Mt Baker in Washington State to find that my beloved D70 had a big dust spot in a hard to clone location. Hmmmm anti dust would be nice.

Just here to sate my curiosity, see some nice photos and ask a few questions. And when my D70 bites the dust probably switch back to Olympus.

Hi Steve,

It is pretty hard to go wrong with Olympus equipment. As you already know Olympus is very innovative with their camera designs. The quality of build is hard to beat. The quality of their lenses is very good. The color of the images is excellent. I like the 4/3 format as it is a better fit for 8 x 10 prints. The dust shaker is a must for digital cameras (in my opinion).

I own both the E1 and the E-300. I also own two FL-50 flashes, and a lot of their accessories. Olympus equipment is not inexpensive, but you get what you pay for.

I'm sure many others will also chime in here and give you some other reasons for buying Olympus 4/3 equipment.

Good luck with your decision. If you have any specific questions on the 4/3 system, this is the place to get answers.

Lawrence

[OzRay]

It's really a case of swings and roundabouts when it comes to DSLRs. There really aren't any bad ones about and most issues to do with image quality have to do with the quality of the lens. Good and bad exist in every brand, though Olympus tend to have few if any lenses one could call bad, just good, better and incredibly good (and incredibly expensive).

As far as dust goes, that seems to be a vexed issue. On DPReview, whenever anyone mention that they are so happy with the dustbuster, the usual Canon trolls come out and say that dust is not a problem and takes but a mere second to fix, if present. Cleaning of the sensor is something they also do when they are asleep, as it's such an easy task.

Frankly I really don't know what the truth is, but I do know that I have never even thought about dust since I've owned the E1 and E300. If one saw where I took photographs and under what conditions I changed lens and how, many would likely choke, even Olympus owners. I can certainly vouch for the dustbuster.

But honestly, that shouldn't be the only determinant for camera choice, there are a lot of other factors that one should consider such as intended use, ergonomics, features, image, lenses, accessories etc. The 4/3s system got a lot of flak over the latter two issues, but it's getting harder and harder to criticise Olympus for lack of anything, as Panasonic, Leica, Sigma, Tamron (supposedly) all begin to produce compatible gear.

I think the last point is a crucial one, if Leica and Sigma (as rumoured), also decide to produce a 4/3s body, then you are begining to have a significant range of bodies to choose from, where all the lenses and accessories are compatible. No other similar option exists with other brands, except for adapters, and Olympus already has that fully covered.

This sounds like a plug for Olympus, and in a way it is, but do consider all the factors before you decide to change systems, especially if you have good Nikon lenses in your kit.

Cheers

Ray

[arbutusq]

Thanks for the input folks. I find the dust issue to be a major one as I am ligally blind and have trouble with the sensor cleaning. I've owned Oly before (C5060) and loved it. I love the results with the D70 (weak AA filter, incredivle detail) and look forward to seeing how my imageing needs will be met by Oly.

Thanks for the welcome all!!!

[Rich K]

Welcome to the fourthirdsphoto!

I noticed that your most recent trip was to Mt. Baker, so I'm guessing that you enjoy photographing in the Cascades. I'm about 800 miles south of you in the Sierras and I'd like to point out two important advantages of the E system if you're into outdoor photography. First of all, the E-1 and the higher grade E-system lenses are weather-proofed - not a bad deal if you're stuck halfway out on a 10 mile hike and it begins to rain. Also, if you are sensitive to equipment weight (I am!) then the E-3xx/E-5xx and the less expensive Oly lenses offer a very nice balance between weight and quality - something I can really appreciate after 6 hours on the trail!

Also, I don't think the E system gives anything away to Nikon or Canon when it comes to daylight photography - great exposure, nice colors and good white balance.

[Pavel]

Hi. I'm also a Nikon user (D2h). Each system has it's stong and weak points but the Oly stuff holds some unique advantages. Aside from those already mentioned I'd add that theirs are the only lenses that I don't even think about shooting wide open with. The better ones are that good.
I find the ergonomics to be quite excellent ( though the Nikon way gets the edge in my book) and the whole system has a nice unified feel to it.
Little things like being able to decide which way you want to focus towards infinity are nice and so is the ability to map out bad pixels.

Me, I'm waiting to see what the new E-3 materializes into but knowing Olympus it is bound to be unique and delightful in the details. The E-1 was a pure pleasure to shoot even if some of the specs are not up there with the best from other brands by the numbers. The best way it makes sense to describe the Olympus experience to me is with the phrase "more than the sum of it's parts". You can't exactly look at a spec sheet and know what the fuss is about - but after a month or two you find that there is good reason that like years before with the OM gear - Olympus users are a very satisfied bunch that love the brand.

Good luck and hope to see your posts often.

[deevee]

Hi folks my name is Steve and I am a nikonian who is very curious (and sorely tempted) by 4/3. I just got back from Mt Baker in Washington State to find that my beloved D70 had a big dust spot in a hard to clone location. Hmmmm anti dust would be nice.

Just here to sate my curiosity, see some nice photos and ask a few questions. And when my D70 bites the dust probably switch back to Olympus.

Welcome to the friendly and informative forum here; what are you curious about? what do you like to hear from us? We'll be glad to provide answers anytime ...Cheers,

[arbutusq]

Welcome to the friendly and informative forum here; what are you curious about? what do you like to hear from us? We'll be glad to provide answers anytime ...Cheers,

I'm mainly interested in how Oly cameras handle high dynamic range scenes. For example the sun breaking through the clouds. How well do te E 300 files handle PP? How is the E system RAW workflow compared to Nikon Capture?

I have quite a few more questions but I'll space them out so I don't become annoying or trollish.

[Hokuto]

How well do te E 300 files handle PP? How is the E system RAW workflow compared to Nikon Capture?

I don't think there is a single E-system RAW workflow--as our recent group tutorial shows. I use primarily Silkypix for developing, while others use Olympus Studio, ACR, Bibble, RSE/RSP and even Olympus Master (slow...) as their weapon of choice.

Not sure what you mean by how the E-300 files handle pp; is there some difficulty with Nikon files that suggests this question? E-300 files process well, and produce better DR than with the in-camera JPR engine, if that's any help.

[Pavel]

As far as dynamic range is concerned they are similar between a body like the D2h, which has a little less dr than the D70 and the E-1 - the body I have experience with. In that sense Canon has a bit over both - and if you can put up with the slower operation there is nothing like the dr of the fuji S3.
I haven't found dr to be a problem in any way as from worst to best there isn't much difference - not enough to make an impact. What I find more important in that vein is how a sensor handles highlight roll-off. There I've found the software to be "the thing" so again ... who cares ( Adobe being best by a wide margin for that)

As far as workflow - I'd rate studio as the worst software I've ever used. NC is far more advanced and the workflow - well flows. That said, while Both pieces of software seem to be able to extract that extra bit with default settings, especially with color once you tweak the defaults it becomes another non-issue and you can get great results with many different raw converters. So there is incredible choice.

I personally think that DR is an overated attribute as software does such a better job extending it ... and extending it just the way one needs for each scene individually and in the comforts of your favorite editing chair.

I guess what I'm saying is that functionally there may be differences but with a bit of experience - it is in effect the same.

My own experience with Olympus stuff so far, as far as files are concerned has led me to conclude that the one real difference I couldn't work around no matter how I set the camera's up or worked with software was that the Olympus jpg output right out of the box is superior to anyone elses. I'd rank Olympus a clear first Nikon second and Canon last. I do have to admit though that they are in reverse order when it comes to headroom for manipulation.

All said though - the water is fine.

[marcof]

Hi folks my name is Steve and I am a nikonian who is very curious (and sorely tempted) by 4/3. I just got back from Mt Baker in Washington State to find that my beloved D70 had a big dust spot in a hard to clone location. Hmmmm anti dust would be nice.

Just here to sate my curiosity, see some nice photos and ask a few questions. And when my D70 bites the dust probably switch back to Olympus.

I came from nikon as well. I don't think the dust buster was that important actually, I cleaned my D100 myself in 2 minutes, not a big deal (but of course extra cost). (EDIT: okay, I didn't read the part that you had eyesight problems, sorry)
What convinced me most was the image quality straight from the camera. My workflow has sped up quite a bit because i don't need to fiddle to get the (mostly skin-) colors right.
also the waterproofness and the excellent optics convinced me to move over to Olympus.

The ergonomics are very similar to nikons', the only thing that is different really is the lens mount.. turns the opposite way

Last but not least.. the shutter silence.. it is plain brilliance. A few days ago I played with a friends' canon 20d.. boy, that thing was LOUD, and I could really feel a recoil.. as if shooting a big gun. The E1 is much smoother in this respect. The successor will hopefully be even better. The consumer models are a big louder, although still pretty quiet.

c'mon, don't hesitate, hop on over, the grass really is greener on this side

[Pavel]

And we forgot to mention that you would naturally be hanging out with far cooler people!

That shutter thing is a reality. Sooo nice.

[arbutusq]

And we forgot to mention that you would naturally be hanging out with far cooler people!
.

I don't know, the people at Nikon Cafe are pretty nice too. THe color scheme is far better over here though. That yellow is a lot harder on the eyes than the nice blue of 4/3!!!