olympus e500 versus canon eos350d - trying to decide - on a budget

Howitzer

Hi there,

I am trying to decide on buying an Olympus E500 from US amazon for either $579 (refurb) or $650 new.

but with $650 to spend I was wondering should I go with the more mainstream decision of getting a Canon 350D, as it might be easier to get cheaper accessories / lenses in future.

Would buying a refurb put you off?

I am on a tight budget on this - so not going for 10mp models.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=oly_e500%2Ccanon_eos350d&show=all



Pros for E500:
Twin lens kit covering 28-300mm range
Dust protection
Solid looking for handling

Cons:
Whitebalance and autofocus issues (minor?)
3 point focus vs. canons 7points

Pros for canon 350d:
Mainstream - so second hand gear will be easier found
Slightly Sharper

cons:
No dust protection
Does not come as 2 lense kit - would have to get a second lens up to the 300mm range (any idea what a cheap one would cost?)
Bit small in the hand


Any advice much appreciated.

Cheers

rymus

Howitzer wrote:

Would buying a refurb put you off?

Yes. I'd rather a new camera over a refurb any day.

5uspect

There is a 350D with two kit lenses, I got mine with the standard 18-55 and with the 55-200mm lenses, cheap lenses but they're light and can get quite good shots for the price. They're not the sharpest but I found them very useful for learning and you don't have to worry too much about messing up a €1000 lens.
Here she is.

Calina

You'll get a Sigma 70-300mm APO DG for 199E in Dublin. I have one and can't complain about it. I've taken some razor sharp shots with it.

Howitzer

i'm going to go with the E500. It's a bargain price and looks good quality. Only niggle is the lack of lenses. I'll only want one more though - macro.

Cheers

PaulieC

you know that Amazon won't send a camera to ireland, right?

Howitzer

I have a man out there

why are companies not delivering internationally and making the net so regional?

PaulieC

something to do with Import duties and taxes etc. It looks as if companies can get away with it for a while when they are small, but as soon as they get to a certain size, the authorities that be take an interest in them and start forcing them to charge VAT etc and it just becomes too much hassle for them so they stop shipping to those countries.

I thnk that's the reason, could be wrong though...

Calina

Amazon have some concerns about our waste legislation/WEEE charges as well.