Camera Labs

Hi leo, that sounds so nice
i have also only heard great things about those lenses!
But if there were problems with then, someone who uses it daily, would know .
Btw: how long does PMA take? do you know?


Morten.

The main problem is that the zoom wheel catches, its made of plastic, so feels cheap, very small, and the biggest problem is that its still a kit lens, no matter how you look at it.

But then, the comparrison models (400d and D40x) means that the Zuikon becomes the better choice for lenses. The moment you start to upgrade to better lenses is a whole new set of bon fires. But as kit lenses go, the Olympus kinda gets a head start.... For the money, the extra couple of 100 or 200 on top of the kit means you get

BODY:
Superior Dust reduction
Image stabilisation
Live view

LENSES:
Better kit lenses
Largest range of lenses avaliable for the 4/3 system AND most compatible with other models (Panasonic, Sigma, Leica, and Olympus all teamed up)

EXTRAS:
For the kit lenses, you get: FREE BINOCULARS... BIG MUTHERS OF A BINOCULARS!!!!

Leo

_________________
1) Olympus OM1 [Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8]
2) Pentax MZ-60 [Sigma 28-90 & 100-300]
3) Canon 7D [EF-S 15-85 & 70-200mm f/4 IS]

Leo's Flickr Page

Hi folks,

If any of you are wondering what happened to the off-topic conversation that was developing about what new offerings Olympus might have for PMA I have split it out and you can continue that conversation here. That way this thread can continue to discuss the E-410.

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

I have had mine for just over a month now, with the twin lens kit and the 70-300.

After the 400D it is SMALL and VERY LIGHT and when you carry the twin lenses also, the complete combination is EXTREMELY LIGHT. Net result, I now carry the camera and the 2 lenses everywhere, so I am taking more photos.

I have yet to find exposure issues with it although the light here in the tropics is very contrasty, so I have set minus 0.7EV exposure compensation just to be safe.

One factor that rarely gets a mention, all 3 of those lenses take a 58mm filter so only one polariser is in the bag.

The one issue I have is with the 70-300mm. I can't work out how to remove the lens hood without the barrel rotating and extending manually and making a horrible sound!

All in all, I love it and am having a lot of fun using it and taking lots of pics.

The compact hardly gets a run at all now.

Look forward to others thoughts.

Bernard

hello bernard.
it's not because i want to "kill" this tread, but im still wondering which camera to buy. my mind was set for the E-410, then i was around the D40, and then the 400D. it's just so confusing and i cant seem to find a user comparison of E410 and 400D. but now i found you
would you mind making a comparison for me? what do you think id the best? and why=?


Morten.

Hi Morten

Sorry to take a while to answer, but a good question and you made me sit back and give this a bit more thought than just tell you why I switched.

So I decided to do it this way:

1. They are both excellent cameras that will take great photos in most situations. So no points either way on that score.

2. The 400D with its kit lens, 18-55mm, is slightly larger and heavier. I also believe the 14-42 Olympus lens is a better lens than the Canon. On my 400D I had a used 17-40L and that makes it a lot heavier and larger. Score a point or two for the E 410 on weight and size.

3. 400D gives you the chance to use the ulta wide EF-S 10-22 and Olympus does not have a comparable lens, yet! Supposed to be one out in early 2008 though. Score a point for the 400D.

4. 400D also gives you access to some great and fast prime lenses, the Canon 50mm f1.4, the Canon 85mm f1.8 and the Sigma 30mm f1.4 are some examples. Combine those wide apertures with ISO 1600 and you can take night photos around town using available light. The Sigma 30mm is available in the 4/3rds mount now and Olympus have their 50mm f2 but it equates to a 100mm though. If that suits your requirements, score quite a few points for the 400D.

5. On the tele side, the Olympus 7-300mm is small and light for what it gives you, 600mm effective at the tele end. Score a couple of points for the E410 on that.

6. So I really think it comes down to when and where you want to take photos. In my case, mostly in daylight and I travel a lot so I wanted a combination that gave me the focal length range from wide angle to reasonable tele. The 14-42 coupled with the 40-150 gives me 28-300 in 35mm terms and it is small and light enough not to trouble carry on luggage limits even on small aircraft.

Yes, the size and weight won me across and I sold what I had left of Canon gear. Would I have changed if my 400D had not been stolen last year while travelling? Probably not but I had the chance and did it.

Hope that helps and feel free to ask any more questions.

I do suggest you try to get your hands on both and try them first. I have quite small hands so the E410 suits on that count too!!

Cheers

Bernard

You are fogetting the Zuikon 7-14mm lens that is the only Wide angle lens with the LEAST amount of distortion than any other comparable lens (effective 14 - 28mm)

The canon you have to multiply by 1.5 - 1.6 (effective 15-33mm OR 16-35.2mm)

Score 1 for a better wide, and Score another for quality and the Best you can find at this moment in time.

Leo

_________________
1) Olympus OM1 [Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8]
2) Pentax MZ-60 [Sigma 28-90 & 100-300]
3) Canon 7D [EF-S 15-85 & 70-200mm f/4 IS]

Leo's Flickr Page

Hi Bernard.
I really apreciate you taking the time to write a this long post. (:
Hmm, it gves me a lot of things to think about. and yes, soon im going to go hold the cameras, but it will be a while before im going to buy one (summer).
But i have a question to you; do you feel that this camera limits you? are there anything you cant do with it?
and; how are the pictures? (highlights etc)
can you set the camera in auto-mode and still get good pictures? (not because a plan on doing this, but i have to start somewhere)
and my last question: how much does it mean, that there are no AF-assist light?

Thanks in advance.

Morten

Ps. Leo, i think those lenses are so expensive that it does not matter

And AF light basically means that the camera rappidly flashes so it can calculate or itself an auto focus distance. It just gives itself some light so it can see basically...

Its worth having it if you have the time and patience and set up to acomodate it. Using it in the real world, you will end up blinding people and probably get stopped for using it in public places. It always depends..

I have mine on my camera turned off because I do a lot of portraits and landscapes and macro, and a single flash is just more friendly to the person you point it at.

Leo

_________________
1) Olympus OM1 [Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8]
2) Pentax MZ-60 [Sigma 28-90 & 100-300]
3) Canon 7D [EF-S 15-85 & 70-200mm f/4 IS]

Leo's Flickr Page

Hi Morten

Leo is right that there is the Zuiko 7-14, but it is not just expensive, but also very heavy. At about 800gms it is more than twice the weight of the 410 body. That got me thinking about another plus for the E 410 and kit lenses combination: they are very well balanced when holding them.

On the other hand, the 400D with 10-22 is also very well balanced and a good combination.

I agree with Leo about the AF illumination on E 410: I have it turned off as it emits a lot of green flashes and is distracting and annoying to people in its path.

For flash shots, I set the aperture to 5.6 or 8, put the lens on P mode and manually focus using a bit of guesswork. So far no problems.

Does it limit me? Not the camera: quite the opposite, I am using it more than I did my old 300D or the 400D. It really is small and light. The one thing I do miss is being able to sue the fast prime lenses, so I think my next buy will be the 50mm f2 for portraits and low light work.

For years I have carried a compact for the times I did not want to use my SLR, but no more, the E 410 with 14-42 fits in a briefcase easily.

For tavel, I believe the E 410 is also a less obtrusive camera and in many of the developing countries, that can be important too.

I have read about lack of dynamic range and blown highlights, but I took some photos last weekend with a garden half in shadow and half in very bright tropical sun: it has coped very well and has good detail in both. The same with some shots of a cruise ship coming in to harbour this morning in very bright sunlight. I took those without any exposure compensation, but I am finding that if I set it to minus 0.7ev I am safer.

Hope all this helps and happy to answer any other questions.

Bernard

Hi Bernard.
i almost cant wait to get my hands on it, im kind of in love with that camera
thank yo for answering all of my questions, now i have decidet (unless it of some reason feels crappy in real life) to get it!
i simply cant wait :b

do you know if olympus have world wide warrenty?

Hi Bernard, as an off-topic remark, will you be entering this month's Assignment? be great to see a photo from Fiji!

Hi Gordon

I had not even realised you were running assignments! Sounds like a great idea and a bunch of fun too. How do I load a photo into a post like this one, as others have done? Cheers Bernard

PS on a separate note, how do I get back to the "home" page from other pages in the web site? The screen that I get does not seeme to have that option.

Hi Bernard, you can click on the Cameralabs logo on any page to go back to the front page.

There's a full guide to posting photos and the rules for the assignments in the Assignment section here:

http://www.cameralabs.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=36

Looking forward to seeing your photos soon!

On last check, they do. I know that my E-510 does... but take a quick look at the warranty card in the box b4 you buy it if its important... Its not in the box, its just under the first flap (there are 2 top flaps b4 you get to the top of the box) and it should be attached to the second flap in a display kind of position...

Leo

_________________
1) Olympus OM1 [Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8]
2) Pentax MZ-60 [Sigma 28-90 & 100-300]
3) Canon 7D [EF-S 15-85 & 70-200mm f/4 IS]

Leo's Flickr Page