Camera Labs

Hi I am about to buy my first dslr camera and have pretty much made up my mind (after hours of net research and looking around the shops) on the Olympus 620e.

My dillema at the moment is choosing between two deals I have found with the twin lens kit. My options are:

1. Harvey Norman can do the Olympus 620e with:
-18 - 42mm (36 - 84mm equivalent with the 4/3 ratio sensor),
-40 - 150mm (80 - 300mm equivalent),
-2 x UV filters,
-4G Extreme compact flash card,
-extra 2 years warranty (3 years in total)
for $1550.00.

or

2. Camera House can do the Olympus 620e with:
-18 - 42mm (36 - 84mm equivalent with the 4/3 ratio sensor),
-80 - 300mm (160 - 600mm equivalent),
-4G Extreme compact flash card,
-extra 2 years warranty (3 years in total)
-$200.00 worth of prints done instore
-an online course
for about $1800.00. (UV Filters an extra $35 ea).

I like the idea of the extra zoom with the 600mm lens in option 2 as I plan to take sports shots and landscape shots however, I'm concerned on the focal length I will get with the gap (84 - 160mm) between the two lenses. The lady at Camera House assures me that that gap is not an area which is used anyway. I don't plan on doing much wildlife shots so I dont know if the 600mm lens would be used to its full advantage anyway. If I go with option 2 would this gap be an issue? would option 1 be more suitable with what I want to do? Please help.

Thanks,
George.

I have essentially option 1, although I went with the standard 14-42 kit lens, and am glad I didn't go for the long reach tele lens just yet. I find the 40-150 to be an excellent walk-around lens.

Prices seem a bit high to me, but I guess it's something to do with how they are bundling the products. I spent $1000 CDN on my 2-lens kit, 2 UV filters, Lenspen, 4GB card, and a few other odds and ends. How much would you be paying for the extended warranty -- I am not a fan of them personally, but know that they can provide peace of mind.

_________________
Olympus e-620 / 14-42mm / 40-150mm
Metz 48 AF-1
Kata 3-N-1 20, LowePro Orion Mini, LowePro Nova 2
My Flickr

The extended warranty is an extra $50, the total at CH is $1750 for the bundle.

The gap in focal lengths probably isn't as big of an issue as it might seem on paper. If you think the extra $200 in prints is worth it, I think Camera House has the better deal.

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Graham
Flickr

Thanks for the responses, I think I will go the camera house deal, I can probably save a couple of hundred $ by buying online but my fiance will definitely make use of $200 worth of prints plus good product support and without the hassle of having to send it away if it needs repairing, secondhand lens, etc.

As far as UV filters, lens pen and lens hoods, bag, etc you can pick these up very cheaply on ebay. However I've found a million different makes of UV filters, lens hoods and lens pens - any recommendations as to which ones I should get for this camera?