Switch from Nikon...

Today I own a Nikon D70 with 18-70, 70-210/4-5.6, 50/1.8 and Sigma 90/2.8 Macro. The other day I tested an E-500 at work and was totally sold. Love at first sight etc...As a former owner of an OM-1 and OM-10 I'm a big fan of small cameras and especially Olympus.

Now I'm seriously considering selling my Nikon gear and buying in to the E-system. Now I want to know if anyone else here did the same thing, and about their experiences? What do you lack on the E-500 vs the D70? What is better, what is worse? How much worse is the AF on the E-500?

I think I will buy the two lens kit, the 11-22 and the 35 macro to begin with if i decide to make the switch.

I didn't previously own a Nikon D70, but I was all set to purchase a Nikon D50 (D70 was to expensive). The guy at the camera shop told me the color on the E300/500 would run rings around the D50. He sold me on the Olympus E System cameras. I've never use a Nikon D50/70 so I don't know if it is true or not.

I've had an Olympus E300 for 2 months. Love it. I'm very satisified with Olympus.

I also own an OM1, best 35mm I've ever used.

I don't think you'll be sorry if you switch.
Good Shooting.

Well. I'm a previous Nikon shooter and a Nikon fanatic ... who owns the Olympus E-1 + 14-54 and 40-150.

In short, the summary of the E-500 against the D70 has two things mentioned. High-iso noise is heavier on the E-500, and the AF is not as good. Other than that I'd say the E-500 has better handling, better out-of-camera pictures, better build and better customization options. I'm also not a fan of the LCD beeing used as the infodisplay on the E-500. It would have been fine if they had an eye sensor that turned the info off when you put the eye to the viewer, like on the KM 5D. Also the speed of the E-500 is a bit lower than on the D70.

Why did I buy Olympus. Feel of the camera, and better out of camera pictures. I simply enjoy Olympus more, since i do less postproduction and less work after shooting. Also the optics can be used on any aperture on any focal length without worrying about poor sharpness etc. The optics also compensate for the higher-iso noise by beeing brighter. In daylight, the 14-54 + 40-150 have a big advantage over similar Nikon solutions. The 40-150 is a steal, so is the 14-54. I'd buy the E-500 with 14-54 if I could find it, and then add other optics to the equation. AF is not an issue in fair light. In dim light the AF is slower, but tack on every time. If the AF locks, it never faults.

Nikon pros; better for difficult conditions especially low light.

Olympus pros; better optics, better experience overall (for me; better end result).

I'd choose whatever makes me comfortable. Welcome to the forum if you decide to switch.

Colour is better on the Olympus, but if you shoot sports (or anything requiring a good AF), especially indoors, the AF on the D70 kicks the tar outta the Olympus.

the high ISO on the D50 is amazing. Plus, the 18-200 VR lens is quite nice as a single all around lens. The AF is much faster on the D50. Yes, the colors are better on the E.

If you don't own the E-500, you can't comment on it's focusing ability.

Robh3 said:

Nikon pros; better for difficult conditions especially low light.
Olympus pros; better optics, better experience overall (for me;
better end result).

Click to expand...

Considering the large number of excellent Nikon (including VR) and third party lenses, your claim is a little bit far fetched.

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'There is no conversation more boring than the one where everybody agrees.'

I would not say that my claim is far fetched. If you are talking about high-end lenses it might not be the case, but for lower grade optics, Olympus offers more light, more sharpness and more rugged construction for the money. Somthing lead me to belive that this shooter was not looking for somthing like the 35-100. If you've ever shot with Nikon optics, you know that they do need some care as to what apertures they are used at especially on digital, there is more ca on some of the lenses etc.

Overall, I think Olympus has a more even performance from their ZD lineup than Nikon has with their DX lineup of optics. Also weight etc. is to be concidered when judging optics.

If you want to switch cameras, I would wait for the E-330, or if you really want to go all out, whatever pro body Olympus is expected to announce at PMA.

The E-500 is a very nice camera, but the high ISO performance doesn't match what you currently have -- the E-330 will fix that.

Unless your current gear breaks down tomorrow, keep it for a while longer and then get a better camera in a month or two, or the same kit you can get today for less money.

I have a D-70 and The E-1. That’s right everyone, here we go again!!! If you are able to, try to keep them both. The E-1 has incredible JPEGs and the ergonomics cannot be beat. I have never experienced back focus with the E-1 either. The colors are great, the one button white balance is super, and the build quality is first class.

The D-70’s jpeg engine is horrible, but if you shoot RAW and use top quality Glass the images are superb. I almost gave up on the D-70 quite a few times until I attached a 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens, and I was sold. Since then, I ditched the kit lens and got the 17-55mm DX f/2.8. I lucked up and got a good copy my first time out too. These lenses will produce excellent contrast and colors. I have the 24-120mm VR, but it back focuses every now and again.

Now here is where I get back up on my soapbox. Primes, fast primes, and more primes that are fast. Nikon has tons of them at affordable prices. I do most of my shooting from around 11mm to 120mm. I don’t really do much work on the long end. The 30mm f/1.4 is incredible ($350). The 50mm f/1.8 is the best bang for the buck (less than $100), and the 50mm f/1.4 is sublime ($240). The 85mm f/1.4 is supposedly legendary and it’s on my list.

If you have a need for these lenses, if you like to shoot RAW (file size 5megabytes), if you need faster auto focusing or a camera a little faster in its operations, you will miss the D-70.

(He climbs down off his soapbox)

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I have the Nikon D50, and my husband just got the E500 2 lens kit. From what I have been able to tell, the colors from the E500 may be a little better out of the camera. It could be that he has all his settings higher than I have mine. I do like the E500, it is a very nice cam!
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Nikon~ D50~ 50/1.8~70-300~18-70~24-120VR~60/2.8
Sony's~717~828~P200
Epson P2000.

First of all, yes...it's wonderful to see you falling in love with the E500 and the Olympus tonality in general. Once you are hooked, well...there's no turning back. Quite a few people on this forum have both Nikon and Olympus DSLR systems...no denying that.

Having said that, it's your call if you want to sell the D70 and the glass you have. I also have an indepth Olympus system (heck, all of the cameras they made so far) - but I also picked up a D50 and some nice lenses to basically serve as my high ISO camera.

I believe that both complement each other. Again, it's just a suggestion but many dual system owners have both systems and are happy with. It actually expands your capabilities at this point.
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And as always, this post was submitted with a smile...

Ben

Ben are you serious,you have every camera that they have made so far??
Ben Herrmann wrote:
I also have an indepth Olympus system (heck,

Ben Herrmann said:

all of the cameras they made so far) >

Click to expand...

Check out his profile -- he's the Olympus poster child! (c8

Just look at it this way. By me picking up these new models, I can report back to the peanut gallery about my trials and tribulations - along with image quality of all of the stuff. Hey, it keeps me young!!!!!!
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And as always, this post was submitted with a smile...

Ben

by being just a cut above the peanut gallery. But I do look forward to your reports on stuff.
and of course:
as always, this post was submitted with a smile...