Olympus E620 or D5000

hallelujah

Dear reader,

I am about to buy my first DSLR and would like some advice. Ideally, I
would like a Nikon D90 but this is beyond my budget. So my options
are:

* Nikon D3000 - E372
* Nikon D5000 - E550
* Olympus E620. - E590 with 2 lenses

I have looked at each camera in the shop and I like the look and feel
of the Olympus best. However, I am really interested in buying the
camera with the best picture quality. The shop assistant was quite
dismissive of the D3000, saying the picture quality is much poorer
than the D5000. I guess this is to be expected giving the price
difference. Does any have any recommendations or thoughts on these
cameras, or on the E620?

Cheers,
Jeff

nilhg

You're going to get a flood of posts telling you to get the Nikon, all well intentioned but by people who have never held an Olympus, unless you plan to go pro soon the Oly will be fine and has the advantage of having better lenses than the kit Nikons and they are stabilised too.

If you like it go for it.

There is a special offer on at the moment too, I think you should be able to get a free grip or flash with the Oly, I'll find a link in a few minutes.


Edit, found it, sorry it's a free battery, the free grip or flash is with an E30

melekalikimaka

id agree with the shop, oly is the only real slr, the twi nikons are a bit naff

LittleLebowski

I have a Olympus E-500 and it is a great camera. I also got a second lense free for less than the price of the Cannon I was gona get. Never regretted my decision.

duffarama

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse620/page31.asp

While the E-620's operation may seem surprisingly sophisticated for an entry-level model, its ability to deliver great images, straight out of the camera hits the spot precisely. From a technical perspective, the image quality is on a par with its peers in just about every respect

I got an E620 this summer and it's a great camera for the price, in body IS is great to have, the kit lenses are good and sharp, the flip and twist screen is quite useful and as stated above the image quality is superb.

Also jpegs straight out of the camera are quite often as good as you'll want the picture to be which means less time spent sitting in front of the computer when you get home.

Morrisseeee

Another Olympus user here (E510) and as an entry level camera its very good, so I'd imagine the E620 is even slightly better. The twin lens you are getting covers quite a good range and are very good also.

The shop assistant was quite
dismissive of the D3000, saying the picture quality is much poorer
than the D5000.

........he would say that wouldn't he ! :eek: If I was going the Nikon route I'd get the cheaper body and then get a 'good' lens, you can't beat a good piece of glass.
Another plus for Olympus (as mentioned) is the 'in body' image-stabilization, ie. I got a few adapters and a few older 'prime' lenses (on eBay) and its a great way to experiment > cheaply ! Another thing the Oly has is Sensor cleaning, ie. it 'shakes' the sensor (very quickly) to get rid of those dust devils !

CabanSail

I would get whichever camera you feel suits you best. ALL of those cameras will give you good picture quality. The main difference will be the quality of the lenses.

I would probably steer clear of the place where the Sales Person gave such poor advice.

The Nikon System is more extensive than the Olympus System, so if you you have aspirations to a D90 or it's replacement then that would be a reason to buy the Nikon entry level DSLR. If you are happy to stay with Olympus & it feels better to you then get that one. Just find a good place to buy it where you get expert advice.

duffarama

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Another plus for Olympus (as mentioned) is the 'in body' image-stabilization, ie. I got a few adapters and a few older 'prime' lenses (on eBay) and its a great way to experiment > cheaply ! Another thing the Oly has is Sensor cleaning, ie. it 'shakes' the sensor (very quickly) to get rid of those dust devils !

One other thing is "pixel mapping" which means a return to the shop or the manufacturer with Canon and Nikon.

I got a stuck pixel on the first day of a holiday, bright pink dot on every picture when reviewed on the camera screen. Ran pixel mapping, no more stuck pixel.

walshy123

Can I ask where you got those prices?

What lenses come with the Oly

Morrisseeee

What lenses come with the Oly

Usually the 14-42mm (very good lens) and the 40-150mm. Thats a 35mm equivalent of 28-300mm range.

oog

The Olympus E620 came highly recommended to me from a pro photographer. I've ordered it online with the two lens kit. Can't wait to play!!