[regken]

I've been wanting a smaller camera than the K10D but didn't want to give up either SR or the ability to use my old manual lenses. Oly just came out with a firmware upgrade that allows you to use old lenses and still have image stabilization. Combine that with LV and a price of $488 and it becomes a very attractive second camera. The LV would be great for fine tuning focus while using a tripod. The two downsides are the 4/3eds sensor which is noisier and the VF is nowhere near as good as my K10D. It's basically the same size as the ist series, even lighter.

I was hoping Pentax would come up with something suitable but don't want to wait another year. Using my FA 43 should give me very good IQ at the lower ISO settings.

Regards,

Ken

[ftpaddict]

The Oly E-510 is a very attractive camera. I've been eyeing it up for a while now. I mainly do outdoor photography, so high ISO values are of no issue for me. I do a lot of walking about, though, so a lightweight package is a real advantage.
The only downsides I can see (and which are keeping me away from Olympus DSLRs) are the small viewfinder and the much too expensive lenses. (OM lenses are few and far between here, so the only option is to go for new 4/3)

How come you can buy the E510 for $488? The E410 costs more than that over here!

[regken]

The only downsides I can see (and which are keeping me away from Olympus DSLRs) are the small viewfinder and the much too expensive lenses. (OM lenses are few and far between here, so the only option is to go for new 4/3)

How come you can buy the E510 for $488? The E410 costs more than that over here!

Oly just had a big price drop. Check out buydig.com. they are a good online dealer and that is their price. I would never buy oly glass because of the price. I only shoot manual so my Pentax glass will do just fine.

[ftpaddict]

If I know my fellow countrymen (and I do), they will not lower their price 1 cent, because they've already made stocks, and decreasing the price would mean not making any profit.

[simonkit]

I liked the sound of the E510 when it was released, nearly bought one but went for the Samsung GX10 in the end. Is it really so much smaller to notice much of a difference though ?

simon

[offertonhatter]

the E510 is interesting, and it AF, with the Kit lens it mighty fast. I tried one the other week.

However is it not much smaller than my DS which is a lot slower in AF, but can take my Pentax Lenses of course.

I find the 4/3rds an interesting concept, with mult manufacture support, it could blossom, than again it might not. If they can sort the high ISO noise, then they are on to a winner. but that is digressing a bit.

As a lightweight "travel" camera, I think Olympus is onto a winner, but it might be cheaper just to get the Pentax 18-250 lens on my DS, or indeed a K100D-s/K200D and have a more flexible system that can also use my more "quality" leses that I have ffor normal shooting, and have the body as a backup.

[tux08902]

The E-510 is too small for my tests, which is why I backed away from it.

[Confused]

Hi offertonhatter

Re your comment:

I find the 4/3rds an interesting concept

....however, the unfortunate downside to this concept is that Olympus's range of lenses have had to be specifically engineered to cope with the limitations of the 4/3rds sensor, necessarily making them way more expensive than their nearest 'equivalents' in the APS-C market segment. It pains me to say this as I was once a devoted OM1 user, but the only way I would ever contemplate purchasing one of their 4/3rds DSLR's (and it ain't gonna happen, believe me !) would be if:

a) I had more money than sense and revelled in paying 'through the nose' each time to buy their overpriced lenses &
b) I was prepared to accept an inferior imaging sensor in comparison to the K10D !!!!

Many people must obviously be wholly satisfied with their choice of Olympus DSLR and I am very happy for them. Purchasing decisions are entirely a matter of personal preference, but after a great deal of careful research, I decided to follow a slightly different path and I've had no regrets whatsoever about doing so !

Best regards
Richard

[creampuff]

I will NEVER buy the Olympus E510 because the image quality and sensor dynamic range doesn't even come near to the K100D. Very serious highlight clipping and images can be quite noisy.

The viewfinder is terrible, perhaps that's why Oly play up the supposed virtues of LV. The rear LCD is very poor in terms of colour accuracy. The 2X crop factor may be a boon on the tele end but you lose out on the wide angles plus it is more challenging to achieve narrow dof. Lastly the camera may be small but the lenses are certainly not and they are expensive.

[regken]

a) I had more money than sense and revelled in paying 'through the nose' each time to buy their overpriced lenses &
b) I was prepared to accept an inferior imaging sensor in comparison to the K10D !!!!

I decided to follow a slightly different path and I've no regrets whatsoever about doing so !

Best regards
Richard

Richard,
The only way this will work for me is if I can use my Pentax glass on the Oly body. The Oly would be used as a light duty travel type unit. I'm looking at it as a two body solution.

Ken

[cajuncutter]

Richard,
The only way this will work for me is if I can use my Pentax glass on the Oly body. The Oly would be used as a light duty travel type unit. I'm looking at it as a two body solution.

Ken

And can you do that? Can you use the Pentax glass on an Oly?

[regken]

And can you do that? Can you use the Pentax glass on an Oly?

It seems you can. The SR even works. I've got a thread going on the Oly forum and there is some disagreement. Still trying to figure it out.

[Confused]

Hi Reg

Even in the unlikely event that 'hell froze over' and I was ever to contemplate using an Olympus E510, precisely what would the
2x focal length magnification factor of their 4/3rds sensor do for my precious Sigma 10-20mm rectilinear wide-zoom........
hmm, somehow a 20-40mm coverage doesn't quite hold out the same appeal, does it !! No offence, but the E510 would be a total non-starter for my particular requirements.......YMMV !!!

Best regards
Richard

[barondla]

I shoot both Pentax (DS, K10D) and Olympus ( OM, E300, E330). Olympus to use the older (very expensive OM) lenses already owned. Of the two systems greatly prefer Pentax. All the things we take for granted aren't so easy on Olympus. No infinity mark on lenses, no cable release on many bodies (E300 only with optional grip), etc.

Putting Pentax lenses on Olympus.
The lovely 43 won't be the fov you love because Olympus has a 2x crop factor. You also have to buy the Pentax adapter. Last one I saw was over $150 from Camera Quest! You will be using the lenses in stop down metering mode. Can understand doing this with old lenses where theres no choice but why would one want to do this with modern lenses like a 43? Live view is useful for focusing at 7 or 10X. It is also very slow and clunky to use. Remember the viewfinder is about half the size of a K10D so you lose focusing ability there - lots of it. Olympus also has a different proportion to its images than the Pentax (or any other slr brand). Even if you like it it will change how you compose. You also give up AF! If someone is having trouble focusing doubt its a good idea to give up AF to get liveview (to help focusing) on AF lenses.
Would buy the K100D/s or the new K200D if I wanted a smaller camera body. Consider the fact that I own 10-17, 16-45, 18-55, 31, 77, DFA 100 macro, A*200 macro, and A400 and have never bough an adapter to use them on the two Olympus bodies.
E510 is a nice body. Will probably add one to my OM setup to get IS. Glad they did that.
thanks
barondla

[Snowcat]

A little information you can find useful if you want to use non-4/3 system lenses...

I was browsing for used lenses one of the biggest russian forums, and saw, that there is a very useful thing - a conversion ring which allows to set ANY (!) lens of ANY(!) system onto olympus 4/3 camera. More of that, lenses which have contacts gain focus confirmation with this conversion ring!
I dont particulary know how it works, but it DOES work, i've read alot on the forums about this thing, all people using it are very satisfied.

Here is a link tu the forum page about this "magic" ring (in Russian, has a lot of pictures so you will see how it looks like) - http://club.foto.ru/forum/4/315370