Camera Labs

Thanks, what I was thinking though is of all the times when people tell us not to pixel peep because 100% onscreen doesnt look anything like a normal sized print. So I was thinking, well, lets say we wanted to do a pre-print preview to see what kind of sharpness and noise level we could expect in a 7.5 x 10 print by viewing it on the monitor before printing it. Since most printers' ideal resolution is 300ppi and a typical monitor is 100ppi what I did was divide the "ideal print resolution" of 3072 x 2304 (7MP) by 3, and it comes out to approximately 1024 x 768. I figured that if you resize a file to that new resolution on your monitor, it should match up pretty well what you should expect in a 3072 x 2304 print at 7.5 x 10. I hope Im explaining this clearly.

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https://www.photoshop.com/user/alex_the_great

although presently a Nikon shooter I will chime in because I used to own the E510 and the E520 and I do have a considerable appreciation for Olympus.

Fact: Olympus is worse than the competition at high ISOs. Perhaps not by much and, certainly, less than it used to be, but worse nonetheless, as the competition - especially Nikon, progresses as well.

BUT...

High ISO is not the priority it seems to be, unless you DO shoots a lot in dim light. For example, shooting concerts, or in sport arenas in conjunction with f2.8 lenses, etc...

You really have to see what kind of shots you like to take, or you tend to take most of the time. For instance, I very rarely shoot at high ISOs because a) I don't have the need to, and b) I really do not like high ISO noise, even with cameras capable of mitigating it.

If you really NEED high ISO-capability, then get a full-frame D700, because it's the best at it. However - having owned a D700 after succumbing to the high-ISO 'hype' I found that I was a victim of what I would call the 'high ISO Debate". Victim, because I only bought it for its high-ISO performance, not because I actually needed it. And with the D700, came a bunch of issues: you might be in the full-frame 'league', but you also find yourself with a camera that is big, heavy and, mated with corresponding high-grade lenses, even MORE heavy and bigger, and really visible. I felt quite self-conscious of taking my camera and associated lenses with me, whereas I do enjoy the anonymity of being able to carry my camera around and 'catching' the moment as it happens.
And, because I mated the D700 with equally pro lenses, suddenly I was carrying a full bag of lenses, as pro lenses tend to be limited in their focal range. For a pro, this is not necessarily an issue, but it certainly was for me. In short, photography with a high-ISO capable camera and f2.8 lenses, became an (expensive!) chore and lost its 'click-clack Kodak' appeal for me. In other words, this is what you get if you chase the high-ISO game.

I find that I took very, very few high-ISO shots that I do like. These tend to be more 'arty' types of photos because of the high-ISO grain, no matter how good the camera and how good it is at suppressing high ISO noise. It's always there from 1600 ISO, with any camera. The colours suffer too. I might take some rare high-ISO shots, but it's mainly because I need to capture a specific - and for me, rare - moment. And in that case, Oly or Nikon or Canon would do just as well, because it's a 'utility' shot, not one taken for its composition or image quality.

So, if you find yourself taking mainly shots during daytime, or at worst, in museums, the latest generation Olys are great. I maintain that no other camera does colours like Oly does - warm, with the most beautiful blues. Pictures just look nice with Olympus. And now that they improved their TruPic, allowing for a weaker anti-aliasing filter, they're sharper than what they used to be with the E520/420 series. In addition, Olympus lenses are fantastic, even the kit lenses. And they tend to be smaller than Nikkor/Canon, and, unless you go for the very top-grade Zuikos, cheaper than Nikkor and Canon lenses.

Without ranting on too much, my main point is that one should not get too much caught in the high-ISO game, unless you actually need that feature. There's no clean high-ISO, no matter what brand of camera you use; there might be less or more ISO noise, but it's there. I haven't seen many 'wow' pictures taken at high ISO. If high-ISO performance is indeed critical to you, then you need to consider another brand such as Nikon or Canon because the physical limitation of 4/3 sensor will probably always be a step behind larger ones. As Olympus improves theirs, so does the competition.

But if you are interested in beautiful pictures in a portable package, then Olympus has much more to say in that regard...

Cheers

I agree with everything you said. There are some pictures I can't take and there are some I can. I tend to enjoy the ones I do end up taking, and dont think much about the ones I didnt.

Anyways, I figured once when I invest enough money in the High Grade Lens that Oly makes, bodies will catch up with what I need today, and that will justify buying new bodies and I will be one happy Oly user.

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E-5; E-1; E-620; GH-1
12-60; 50-200; 70-300; 40-150; 25; 35; 50;
14-140;
FL-36rx2 ; FL50r; FL50
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Ant1, you nailed it wonderfully. How often do most of us shoot in conditions requiring very high ISO? For myself, it's almost never. To have this drive your decision in buying a camera over its general quality of images and ease of carrying it and its lenses for a day of shooting strikes me as silliness.

And, like so many others, in my film days (with my OM-2S among other small bodied cameras) I never shot beyond ISO 400 and most commonly at 64 and 100 for their finer grain. This never posed an issue then and I can't understand what I regard as over emphasis on it now.

I'm curious, though. Why did you switch to Nikon when you clearly have such a high regard for Olympus, what camera are you currently using, and do you plan on moving back to Olympus (even for a second camera) anytime soon?

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Sailin' Steve

I dont understand why people say this, with my E-3 I'm almost always finding myself turning the ISO way up, and my lenses are all fast. Even with my 30mm 1.4 im using ISO2000 indoors.

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E-3!
12-60 2.8-4.0
12-60 2.8-40 [Also going]
40-150 3.5-4.5
70-300 4.0-5.6
Fl-48

For some of us, high ISO capabilities are nice to have but not a factor in our everyday shooting. My niche (I shoot 99% outdoors with my E-510) is more about compact size and light weight with very good IQ than ultimate low light capabilities. Other than DR limitations ('nuf said!), it's been a good performer.

The next camera for me? As someone who carries his camera for long periods, the E-P1's small size, classic styling and light weight are very attractive. It also has improved low light capabilities over my E-510, but that will not drive my purchase. I'm now waiting on an E-Px with OVF and faster AF or possibly E-6xx with TruePic V to upgrade

Not being a pro, I'm also more interested in a camera with solid capabilities I can always have with me rather than ultimate performance with weight and size penalties. That's just me.

We're also in different price points, my E-510 w/2 decent kit lenses purchased for $500 last August (still amazed at that price) vs. an E-3 body at $1300+/-. I'm still wading gently into this pool:)

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Sailin' Steve

Ant1, just read this thread and I want to thank you for your well written post! I spent a few agonising months reading reviews this winter, wondering what cam to get after my E500. I am not a techie person, so there was a lot to learn for me. Eventually I decided to stay with Olympus, and buy the E620 after I had won an Olympus Europe campaign to try the PEN for one week this summer. I loved the cam, but I needed a regular dslr, and the PEN made me realize the grip was not so important as I had previously thought (still wished I could afford both the PEN and the E620 though, lol)

When I met a bunch of Photography friends later this summer, my new E620 with my 9-18mm felt like a toy camera compared to the guys with their Nikon D300 & Canon 5MkII with their top glass... but when I began shooting street photography with my cam, using live view and holding my cam low, against my tummy at times, I blessed the size and the swivel lcd. Also I have a bad lower back, and I can carry three lenses in my Golla slr bag and fit everything in, incl a gorilla pod slr zoom, two backup batteries etc, and the total weight is not bad.

All in all, I am very happy with my choice of brand. They do say the ppl who shoot Olympus are a bit quirky and very brand loyal. Well I do not know if I am quirky, but I do love the brand, for me personally it is a hit!

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E500 & E620 owner