e-1 or e-500?

Please advice me.
Right now I have E-300 and I'm quite happy with it,
but want a second body.

Now leaning toward e-1, because the prices are so great,
but could you address my specific concerns:

1) e-1 JPEG engine -- are JPGs perfect out of the camera?

(I only do RAW with E-300, but would prefer to switch to JPEGs to decrease workflow). Or the quality of RAWs is much better?

2) C-AF in e-1 -- I know it is not the best out there, but is it better or worse than E-300/E-500?

3) How exactly weathersealed is e-1? I mean: can I use it in a heavy rain
completely unprotected or I still need some protection?

4) Can you tell apart the level of detail in A3 prints from e-1 vs. e-500 at a normal viewing distance (w/o a magnifying glass)?

Thank you!

b_shtonda said:

1) e-1 JPEG engine -- are JPGs perfect out of the camera?
(I only do RAW with E-300, but would prefer to switch to JPEGs to
decrease workflow). Or the quality of RAWs is much better?

Click to expand...

E1 has one of the best jpgs engines in any camera, though I would hesitate to say always perfect.

b_shtonda said:

2) C-AF in e-1 -- I know it is not the best out there, but is it
better or worse than E-300/E-500?

Click to expand...

I don't have first hand information on E300/500 but my understanding is the newer cameras are slightly better.

b_shtonda said:

3) How exactly weathersealed is e-1? I mean: can I use it in a
heavy rain
completely unprotected or I still need some protection?

Click to expand...

Completely weather sealed if you have sealed lenses. Some people wash their E1 under taps.

b_shtonda said:

4) Can you tell apart the level of detail in A3 prints from e-1 vs.
e-500 at a normal viewing distance (w/o a magnifying glass)?

Click to expand...

Again, no first hand info, but it appears that there is very little difference between them, perhaps slightly more detail in the 8mp cameras in the right conditions, but lower noise in the E1.

b_shtonda said:

Please advice me.
Right now I have E-300 and I'm quite happy with it,
but want a second body.

Now leaning toward e-1, because the prices are so great,
but could you address my specific concerns:

1) e-1 JPEG engine -- are JPGs perfect out of the camera?
(I only do RAW with E-300, but would prefer to switch to JPEGs to
decrease workflow). Or the quality of RAWs is much better?

Click to expand...

A lot of people (such as Adam-T IIRC) think the JPEG engine is one of the better points about the E-1.

b_shtonda said:

2) C-AF in e-1 -- I know it is not the best out there, but is it
better or worse than E-300/E-500?

Click to expand...

Dunno.

b_shtonda said:

3) How exactly weathersealed is e-1? I mean: can I use it in a
heavy rain
completely unprotected or I still need some protection?

Click to expand...

I've shot for an hour in a situation that went from heavy mist to downpoor and back. I've also taken the camera through the Maid of the Mist boat ride at Niagara Falls. Then there are several people whose E-1 went swimming unintentionally, and of course Doreen's classic post from last summer I think where her dog peed on the whole camera bag, and she rinsed it out with tap water, and it still works to this day.

b_shtonda said:

4) Can you tell apart the level of detail in A3 prints from e-1 vs.
e-500 at a normal viewing distance (w/o a magnifying glass)?

Click to expand...

Dunno, but I've seen people say there is some difference, but for most things it is not an issue, until you get to really large group shots.

b_shtonda said:

Please advice me.
Right now I have E-300 and I'm quite happy with it,
but want a second body.

Now leaning toward e-1, because the prices are so great,
but could you address my specific concerns:

1) e-1 JPEG engine -- are JPGs perfect out of the camera?
(I only do RAW with E-300, but would prefer to switch to JPEGs to
decrease workflow). Or the quality of RAWs is much better?

Click to expand...

No, not every time- there's always a file from time to time that needs some amount of levels adjustment. I play with the SHQ setting for some fun stuff, but for subjects I'm getting paid for or that once in a lifetime trip 100% of what I shoot is in RAW and processed the image in Capture One LE. The JPEG's that software spits out are perfect for my uses.

b_shtonda said:

2) C-AF in e-1 -- I know it is not the best out there, but is it
better or worse than E-300/E-500?

Click to expand...

I have no problems with continuous AF with my E-1, but I have to say I played with a friends E-500 at a High School basketball game- we traded out bodies and lenses just to see how each worked, and I didn't see a whole lot of difference, and to be honest I expected the E-500 to be better because it's so much newer.

b_shtonda said:

3) How exactly weathersealed is e-1? I mean: can I use it in a
heavy rain
completely unprotected or I still need some protection?

Click to expand...

It's weather proof and can be used in virtually any type weather conditions, but you need to use it with sealed lenses for full protection.

b_shtonda said:

4) Can you tell apart the level of detail in A3 prints from e-1 vs.
e-500 at a normal viewing distance (w/o a magnifying glass)?

Click to expand...

Who knows- I probably could not. Taken with equal expertise using both cameras and shooting RAW they probably should be close to the same with the E-500 giving better native resolution in larger size prints. JPEG's will probably come out of the E-500 looking better with more processing than the E-1 because the E-500 is made with amatuer use in mind.

Many thanks all of you, guys!!!(n/t)