Camera Labs

First of all what a great site this is, have spent many a happy hour on here pondering over my first dslr purchase.

I would like a camera for mainly landscape, wildlife and to generally learn more about photography. Compact to take on long walks or just to grab when taking the dog out.

My choice at the moment is between the e520 and Nikon d5000 I like the feel and spec of both cameras and the Oly seams like great value with twin lens.

BUT the 4:3 ratio is a concern for the landscape shots would 3:2 format not be more suited for the wide landscape shots, or am I missing something as a newbie.
Any advice or recommendations gratefully received.

Well, it's certainly a matter of taste. 4/3 is a format that has been used very often in the past - most paintings are 4/3 and certainly not because they could'nt get 3/2 frames back then.

U can definitly say that 4/3 is superiour for macros and portraits.

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Olympus E-30, ZD 9-18mm 4.0-5.6, ZD 50mm Makro 2.0, ZD 14-54mm 2.8-3.5, ZD 70-300 4.0-5.6

Light travel equipment:
Olympus EP-2, µZD 14-42mm , Panasonic 20mm 1.7 pancake.

Cullmann Trento IT Daypack

you can crop it either in camera ( I don't know if E-520 support this function ) or manually using photo editing software as you see fit.

you will lose around 1-2 megapixel tho.

I like 4:3 for general photography especially portrait, but in certain scenes like wide landscape, 3:2 or 16:9 is a better frame.

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RadiantLite - Cameras and Lenses Comparison Reviews, buying guide, photo taking techniques and other tips
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Thanks for your replies guys.

Have I got this right that The Olympus 14-42 kit lens would give the same width of picture as the Nikon 18-55. (At 14 and 18 mm)

but would have more height ie. Show more sky in a landscape.
And so would be able to be cropped down to the same picture as the Nikon.

Hello Horsy, and welcome to the friendly Camera Labs forum!
To enjoy your stay here please have a look at the house-rules!
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You can crop any format to the other format with a corresponding loss of pixels.
The E520 has 3648x2736, the D500 has 4288x2848 so is larger in any dimension. For landscape I'd suggest the D5000 (also because I'm a convicted Nikon fanboi )

I'll move your post to the section "Buying a new camera but undecided on brand?". there you will get a broader spectrum of answers.

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

The 14-42 is a great little lens -- and yes, given the FourThirds crop factor of 2X, you will get about the same range as the budget 18-55 Nikon. In addition, fwiw, the quality of Olympus glass is generally accepted as being far superior to the competition (one of the main reasons I opted for Oly over Canon and Nikon). This is especially true at the budget end of things -- it's sharp, and crisp right to the edges.

Insofar as your concerns around format, etc. - I think you will find very little difference between the FourThirds and the traditionals APS-C sensor. This would be especially true if you have never used either before.

The e-520 is a fine camera for what you wish to capture, and with the outstanding implementation of LiveView, I think you will find it a joy to work with. Just remember that for best results, keep your ISO to 400 or below -- the e-520 is notorious for banding at high ISO settings.

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Olympus e-620 / 14-42mm / 40-150mm
Metz 48 AF-1
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i also liked the d5000 for the feel and features, although it was bulkier than the olympus and significantly more expensive. I also didn't want to have to pay for image stabilisation & AF each time I bought a lens.

I went for the olympus last week, and after initial concerns I am very pleased. I got the 2 kit lenses, a wide converter (great for landscapes), spare battery, filters, CF card, bag - all for around $100 cheaper than the d5000 with just the one kit lens.

low light slow AF, a small viewfinder, and mediocre high ISO are my only gripes. If you shoot a lot in low light then there are better options, otherwise from a value perspective - there's no comparison

With my old P&S camera, I often found myself cropping images down to around 4:3 anyway, and the E520 (especially with the pancake lens) is relatively small and light. i take it with me every day. I wouldn't be able to do that with the D5000.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/53061745@N02/

Panasonic G3: 9-18mm, 14mm, 20mm, 45mm

And just worth of mentioning, if you ever want 3:2 ratio without loss of pixels, you can always take 2 pictures (better 3, just for case) in portrait mode and properly stitched you woud end up with getting 4:6 which is nothing else then 2:3.
Of course in this case the picture would weigh about 20.4 Mp and it would allow for printing on the bilboards.

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thanks for all your help. still undecided.
Think I have a dose of "Paralysis by analysis" Lol
Will let you all know what I buy.