Nikon D50 vs. Olympus E-300

fluppet

I found the Canon 350D uncomfortable to hold, and so I'm not considering it. At first I wasn't really considering the Olympus E-300 either, as it is quite old now for a dSLR (released over a year ago), the review on dpreview.com wasn't glowing, it has significant noise problems, it has a very slow start-up time (2 secs), and it looks very ugly (subjective, I know, but that's how I feel).
I began to reconsider it seriously, however, when the promotion which I think is available almost everywhere, was launched. In the promotion, for a price similar to the basic D50 kit price (around Euro 750-800) you get the E-300 body, the kit lens (Zuiko 14-45mm), another lens (Zuiko 40-150mm), and a 1GB compact flash card. That would give me around a 10X zoom and plenty of storage for the same price as a basic D50kit.
I am really finding it hard to decide whether the drawbacks of the E-300 (mentioned at the top) outway the benefits of the promotion. I found the E-300 comfortable to hold (more comfortable than the 350D anyway). The only other camera I am seriously considering is the Nikon D50. I have read enough reviews and user opinions on the internet, and I am aware of the specification differences between the two cameras.
Thank you!

qwertz

A quick tip, look at what lenses are available for each system. Nikon has loads, probably the biggest selection of all manufacturers. Olympus won't even come close to the two big ones (Nikon and Canon).

fluppet

Yes, that is true, and thank you for your suggestion, but as you can guess from my choice of cameras, I am not a pro, and so the range of lenses that Olympus has should be adequate. Anyway, if it isn't I could always buy lenses from a different manufacturer. I am quite sure that Sigma makes 4/3 mount lenses.

fluppet

Another question: I was talking to a 350D owner who said that he experienced the same problem as me at the beginning - it's uncomfortable to hold and to use the command dial - but he said that after a few weeks it felt absolutly fine and he is now very happy with it. Has anyone else experienced this?

qwertz

I am a Nikon user which makes me somewhat biased towards my system of choice Nikon has a better reputation regarding operating the cameras/menu layout. They all produce amazing photos (in skilled hands).

rymus

However pedantic this may sound... 1gb is not plenty storage. In fact it's no storage at all for a dslr. I used to think I'd get by on my 1gb and 512mb cards with my 20D until I realised exactly how many pictures I normally end up taking.

Rather a whole collection of 1/2gb cards and/or a portable storage device like the PD70X. I chose the latter and am now safe in the knowledge that I have 60gb available to me. You can't have too much storage these days. Just something to mull over when you get a dslr. Also, with the choice of the two above, I'd go for the Nikon.

The 350D's size puts alot of people off. I've heard (and only because I haven't actually handled one yet) that you need to have the hands of a tiny child to be alright using it. You could always stick the battery grip on it but that probably wouldnt help much.

Just re-read OP, 2 secs start up time is nuts.. by the time youre on and ready to take a picture the picture you wanted to take is gone forever.

kasintahan

rymus wrote:

The 350D's size puts alot of people off. I've heard (and only because I haven't actually handled one yet) that you need to have the hands of a tiny child to be alright using it.

*checks* yep, got Japanese hands, sorted

all earphones fit me too

DotOrg

i use the 350D very regularly and have used it for extended periods of time (shooting all day from 10am till midnight) and it's not as good as the 20D but it's still very very useable.

i'd never consider buying the olympus over the nikon or the canon.