Olympus E-1 or Canon 10D ?

Jim writes: Hypothetically if the two cameras are priced exactly the same for the bodies, which camera would you prefer? On one hand, with the Canon you have hundreds of lenses to choose from while the Olympus you have only 6 to choose. From the hundreds who visit this forum regularly, I can count on one hand the people who have had an unhappy experience with their E-1s while a quick surf thru the 10D forum turns up many more complaints.(front and back focus,WB,PP,firmware issues). I am sure there are other compelling reasons to choose the E-1 over the 10D (weather sealing,sensor cleaning). Have fun out there, stay tuned. 11 days to blast off. Jim

Jim,

Are you trying to tell us something??

Am I being even more stupid than usual?

JM Porter said:

Jim writes: Have fun out there, stay tuned. 11 days to blast off.
Jim

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--
Andrew

This is the Olympus DSLR forum, exactly what answer are you expecting?

:-]

Adrian

Jim writes: Adrian, I was just asking for those people who might not have pulled the trigger and bought an E-1. It was meant for friendly dialogue, not to stir up the age old forum to forum baloney. As most of you know, I sell both cameras. If the two were priced the same, does it make the E-1 even more attractive for purchase? I wasn't trying to start any problems.
Thanks, Jim

a t o m i c said:

This is the Olympus DSLR forum, exactly what answer are you expecting?

:-]

Adrian

Click to expand...

JM Porter said:

Jim writes: Hypothetically if the two cameras are priced exactly
the same for the bodies, which camera would you prefer? On one
hand, with the Canon you have hundreds of lenses to choose from
while the Olympus you have only 6 to choose. From the hundreds who
visit this forum regularly, I can count on one hand the people who
have had an unhappy experience with their E-1s while a quick surf
thru the 10D forum turns up many more complaints.(front and back
focus,WB,PP,firmware issues). I am sure there are other compelling
reasons to choose the E-1 over the 10D (weather sealing,sensor
cleaning). Have fun out there, stay tuned. 11 days to blast off.

Click to expand...

I owned a lot of Canon glass, including two L zooms. As a reasonable person, I went Olympus when I went digital. Here are the highlights why:

Dust, dust, dust. The Oly E-1 doesn't have it.
Two L-quality lenses take me from 28mm to 400mm equivalent.
Consistent flash exposure
Dead-on autofocus
Best auto-WB on the market
Truly excellent JPGs right from the camera

And, of course, the E-1 body is really sexy.

--
Regards,

Jim Pilcher

'The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.' -- Dorothea Lange

JM Porter said:

11 days to blast off.

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--
Intrigued,

Jim

'The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.' -- Dorothea Lange

kind regards

Nick

'Nothing can make you feel inferior without your consent' - Eleanor Roosevelt

http://www.pbase.com/nickjdavis

If the two cameras are the same price (and they really are right now) the E1 is a better buy. I have both. While the 10D can do a few things better than the E1, I prefer to use the Oly. It's just more reliable in terms of color rendition, AF, and metering. The weather sealing and anti-dust system provide greater peace of mind in day-to-day use.

The lens argument is meaningless for most of us, since the Zuiko lineup does cover 11mm to 280 mm plus macro and the glass is very good quality at a fair price. (except for the price of the 300 2.8, of course) I haven't heard of anyone sending back a Zuiko lens as a duff copy, although I'm sure it could happen.

The 10D's high ISO performance is nonpariel, however. Shoot with both cameras at 1600 and you'll quickly see the difference -- the 10D blows the E1 away in that regard. It's the one reason I haven't yet sold my 10D.

One thing I'm pretty sure of: If the E1 had been introduced at the price it is now, it would have seriously hurt 10D sales.

JM Porter said:

a t o m i c said:

This is the Olympus DSLR forum, exactly what answer are you expecting?

:-]

Adrian

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--



http://www.pbase.com/davek/

Jim,

The E-1 uses lenses designed specifically for digital photography, meaning that they are optimized for a flat sensor rather than the curved film plane. The 10D uses film camera lenses which do not focus properly on a flat sensor (the DR or 300D can use the EF-S lenses, which in addition to their intrusion into the mirror box - they cannot be used on a 10D - they are designed for the CMOS sensor, thus back/front focus issues do not occur with this lens).

With that said, there are the Sigma lenses which are specifically designed for digital cameras, and might solve some focus issues with the 10D.

Oh, Canon does have plenty of lenses, but how many do you actually need? The biggest reason to get a Canon DSLR is their CMOS sensor, which in theory, is superior to the CCD sensors used in most other digital cameras.

So, get what fits your style the best, both are fine cameras.

Wayne

Hi Jim, as you can tell from my handle I live in the UK, so when I was after an slr style digicam I looked at the canon 300d ( plastic lens mount?) Nikon d70 (plastic body?) so it came down to the D100, D10, E1. all around the same price. well the D10 was out (no stock for two months at least I was told) so it was either the D100 or the E1, well anybody who picks up the E1 will buy it it is that simple, the build is far and away better than anything else on sale.

Now if I could just afford a 50-200 I would be a happy man! how much in your sale Jim?

JM Porter said:

Jim writes: Hypothetically if the two cameras are priced exactly
the same for the bodies, which camera would you prefer? On one
hand, with the Canon you have hundreds of lenses to choose from
while the Olympus you have only 6 to choose. From the hundreds who
visit this forum regularly, I can count on one hand the people who
have had an unhappy experience with their E-1s while a quick surf
thru the 10D forum turns up many more complaints.(front and back
focus,WB,PP,firmware issues). I am sure there are other compelling
reasons to choose the E-1 over the 10D (weather sealing,sensor
cleaning). Have fun out there, stay tuned. 11 days to blast off.
Jim

Click to expand...

Hey Kev, I hadn't heard about a sale until Nick brought it up. Due to my long-standing agreement with Phil Askey, I don't use the forum to sell from,I can only use the Forum for informational use only. Thanks, Jim

UK-Kev said:

JM Porter said:

Jim writes: Hypothetically if the two cameras are priced exactly
the same for the bodies, which camera would you prefer? On one
hand, with the Canon you have hundreds of lenses to choose from
while the Olympus you have only 6 to choose. From the hundreds who
visit this forum regularly, I can count on one hand the people who
have had an unhappy experience with their E-1s while a quick surf
thru the 10D forum turns up many more complaints.(front and back
focus,WB,PP,firmware issues). I am sure there are other compelling
reasons to choose the E-1 over the 10D (weather sealing,sensor
cleaning). Have fun out there, stay tuned. 11 days to blast off.
Jim

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

JM Porter said:

I am sure there are other compelling
reasons to choose the E-1 over the 10D (weather sealing,sensor
cleaning). Have fun out there, stay tuned. 11 days to blast off.

Click to expand...

Interesting post. I've lurked for a while on the E-1 dpreview board, and I've even contacted some of the more active list members, asking about their experiences with the E-1 -- many of whom have responded with very helpful emails.

I'm trying to decide between a 10D and an E-1. I don't have an investment in Canon (or Nikon) glass, as I'm a Minolta AF SLR user, and I also used a Contax G-series kit for many years. While it probably makes the most sense for me to wait for Minolta's upcoming DSLR offering, I don't believe that I will probably wait no longer.

I have been favorably impressed with comments re. the E-1. The durability of the E-1 is important to me. I also think that this list has a nice mix of talented and helpful photographers. To be perfectly honest, Canon is appealing because of the large selection of fast glass (I use some outstanding f/1.4 primes with my Minolta AF, sometimes wide open) and strong high ISO performance; I do some low-light indoor photography without flash. That said, I'm well aware of the disadvantages of the 10D, and of course the many advantages of the Olympus E-1.

I'm likely going to purchase a DSLR the first week in August... oddly corresponding to the 11 days until blast off comment. I haven't made my final decision yet, as there are a number of variables involved (not just durability). If I could purchase the E-1 for the same price as the 10D body, this would certainly be another factor into my decision. In the meantime, I will continue to weigh my options, and quietly follow this very informative dpreview list...

--tom

tmr-wa said:

While it probably makes the most sense for me to wait for Minolta's upcoming DSLR offering, I don't believe that I will probably wait no longer.

Click to expand...

oops: should read "...I don't believe that I will wait any longer"

Sorry to waste the extra database space here, but I couldn't stand to leave my grammatical nightmare uncorrected...

a t o m i c said:

This is the Olympus DSLR forum, exactly what answer are you expecting?

:-]

Adrian

Click to expand...

E-1 Wins hands down, no i dont own a 10d but a pro mate of mine do and got shot of it in favour of E-1 best choice he said he have made, 10d images are soft E-1 sharp need i say more.

Jim,

What was your reference to 11 days to blast off?

New model? new pricing?

Can you share any info?

Thanks,
Dan

JM Porter said:

UK-Kev said:

JM Porter said:

Jim writes: Hypothetically if the two cameras are priced exactly
the same for the bodies, which camera would you prefer? On one
hand, with the Canon you have hundreds of lenses to choose from
while the Olympus you have only 6 to choose. From the hundreds who
visit this forum regularly, I can count on one hand the people who
have had an unhappy experience with their E-1s while a quick surf
thru the 10D forum turns up many more complaints.(front and back
focus,WB,PP,firmware issues). I am sure there are other compelling
reasons to choose the E-1 over the 10D (weather sealing,sensor
cleaning). Have fun out there, stay tuned. 11 days to blast off.
Jim

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

tmr-wa said:

tmr-wa said:

While it probably makes the most sense for me to wait for Minolta's upcoming DSLR offering, I don't believe that I will probably wait no longer.

Click to expand...

oops: should read "...I don't believe that I will wait any longer"

Sorry to waste the extra database space here, but I couldn't stand
to leave my grammatical nightmare uncorrected...

Click to expand...

Given one of the earlier posts I read, this is refreshing!

JM Porter said:

Jim writes: Hypothetically if the two cameras are priced exactly
the same for the bodies, which camera would you prefer? On one
hand, with the Canon you have hundreds of lenses to choose from
while the Olympus you have only 6 to choose. From the hundreds who
visit this forum regularly, I can count on one hand the people who
have had an unhappy experience with their E-1s while a quick surf
thru the 10D forum turns up many more complaints.(front and back
focus,WB,PP,firmware issues). I am sure there are other compelling
reasons to choose the E-1 over the 10D (weather sealing,sensor
cleaning). Have fun out there, stay tuned. 11 days to blast off.
Jim

Click to expand...

--
Ray Hull
OCULUS NY
'We nevah, evah do nuthin 'nice and easy' Tina Turner

At this time I cannot say any more about what is happening on the First. Sorry, but they have asked me to be quiet. Thanks, Jim

Dan said:

What was your reference to 11 days to blast off?

New model? new pricing?

Can you share any info?

Thanks,
Dan

JM Porter said:

UK-Kev said:

JM Porter said:

Jim writes: Hypothetically if the two cameras are priced exactly
the same for the bodies, which camera would you prefer? On one
hand, with the Canon you have hundreds of lenses to choose from
while the Olympus you have only 6 to choose. From the hundreds who
visit this forum regularly, I can count on one hand the people who
have had an unhappy experience with their E-1s while a quick surf
thru the 10D forum turns up many more complaints.(front and back
focus,WB,PP,firmware issues). I am sure there are other compelling
reasons to choose the E-1 over the 10D (weather sealing,sensor
cleaning). Have fun out there, stay tuned. 11 days to blast off.
Jim

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

tmr-wa said:

tmr-wa said:

While it probably makes the most sense for me to wait for Minolta's upcoming DSLR offering, I don't believe that I will probably wait no longer.

Click to expand...

oops: should read "...I don't believe that I will wait any longer"

Sorry to waste the extra database space here, but I couldn't stand
to leave my grammatical nightmare uncorrected...

Click to expand...

I have had the E-1 since last Oct. and my last film AF SLR is a Maxxum 700si, so like you I would have been interested in the Konica/Minolta entry, but didn't want to wait. To tell you the truth, I don't think the Minolta zoom lenses are as good as the E-System zooms. The G class primes may be as good. Every DSLR has a maturity period where the final tweaks in firmware are done and users get familiar and reveal the strengths of the system. The E-1 has arrived and the Maxxum 7D has yet to be born. If Konica/Minolta puts and upgrade sensor (a rumor that I heard) it may be worth nursing one thru to the teething stages. Personally, I would get interested if they used the larger 10MP Kodak sensor that Leica is said to be using.
--
Bob Ross
http://www.pbase.com/rossrtx

Hi Porter,

Hundreds of lens from Canon and very limited lens from Olympus is not an issues at all. I go through the same thing before I bought the E-1.

What you need is some decent lens in a common focal length range. I guess you won't use 28-80mm 3.5-5.6. You probably will buy L lens from Canon which is just several there (I exclude those already end of life product). I also not consider those very high end lens (expensive), say, 300mm 2.8L IS. Most people won't buy those big thing. Not saying they are no good but poor people like me can't afford and not have energy to hold it as well.

All I have now is 11-22 and 14-54. This covers 22 to 108mm (35mm equiv). I am happy and not think of other lens at the moment.

Remember, the 1.6 factor make wide angle not that easy to have in 10D.

Hope it helps.

Billy
--
Billy F
Hong Kong
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