Your Opinions: Cannon XSi vs. Olympus E- 510 vs. ?

[ZephyrHawk]

I am a film nut and have been clinging to my 35mm's for years now beyond their time. One good reason I had for this was money (I have none), however, my husband has informed me that I have a big birthday coming up this summer (30 :eek:) and that I am in for a sizeable gift. As such, I've been comparing DSLRs.

I'm currently of the opinion that the Cannon Rebel XSi or the Olympus E-510 are my best bets. I have no real interest in the 520 from Olympus, and though I'd be willing to wait until the 620 is available, I'm not sure I'm willing to go quite that far in price. I like the Nikon D90, but can't see paying that much for video capabilities I won't use. I would like to hear from some owners of my two front runners, or perhaps encouragement from others to check out some unmentioned good models.

Some info on me and the pictures I'll be taking:

I am not looking for a point and shoot. I have several of those and DH already has a digital one. What I'm looking for is an update of my current 35mm (which I will be keeping around for B&W's, time lapse and as a backup). I will use manual mode almost exclusively. I am not a professional by any means, but I have taken some photo classes and I will be utilizing the DSLR for "beauty shots", some of which will be framed. Primarily it'll be for landscapes, artsy photos of architectural features, and wildlife photography. I'm not really into portraits and don't do much in the way of sports photography. It will mostly be an outdoors camera, but that does not necessarily mean I won't ever use it in low light situations. For instance, I'm hoping to someday get lovely fireworks shots like the folks on this board always display.

I intend to drag the camera everywhere from Disney World to Yellowstone to (I hope...oh goodness, I hope) Africa, so it can't be too clunky. I understand that I'll need more lenses than what comes with a basic kit in order to do all this, but I'm willing to wait a bit before committing to telephoto or perhaps rent some fancy accessories if I can't afford to purchase them.

So please, convince me as to why I should invest in your favorite toy. Photographic evidence appreciated!

[Pea-n-Me]

I'm going to predict most pollsters will pick Canon. ;)

Either is a good choice. You just have to know what it is that's important to you, what each system offers, which feels most intuitive in your hands, and then be comfortable with your choice.

Canon is by far more popular. You'd enjoy a better choice of less expensive lenses, better high ISO pictures, and an overall sense of being part of a worldwide Canon community.

Olympus is also a good choice, and I can speak more about it since I'm a user. In body IS, excellent quality designed for digital glass (which tends to be expensive), and lighter overall, being part of the 4/3 system (which will also make it not be as good at higher ISOs, which I take it you know since you mentioned nighttime). It's a popular brand for travelers and nature photographers. See here: http://www.nwpphotoforum.com/ubbthreads/information/php/2007_Reviews/Isaac/Oly510Review.php The user community is not as large, by any means, as either Canon or Nikon, so sometimes you feel as if you're working for Maytag. ;) If that would bother you, you're better off with something else. Check out the micro 4/3 systems also, which will work with an adaptor using 4/3 lenses.

If you have doubts about Olympus' capabilities, take a look around at some of the various websites for shots taken with them, like flickr, the dpreview Olympus SLR User Forum, and the Olympus website. You'll see there's some very nice work out there. Realistically, it might take you a while to get them looking that way yourself, but that will be pretty much true of any system you buy.

Good luck with your choice.

[ukcatfan]

I vote other and say Pentax.

Another thing to consider is if you had a film SLR or just a 35mm p&s. If you had a SLR, do you still have any lenses? Many of them will work on the respective brand DSLR.

[Anewman]

What I'm looking for is an update of my current 35mm (which I will be keeping around for B&W's, time lapse and as a backup).

What is your current 35mm camera?

[Pugrpooh]

Why aren't you interested in the E520? I haven't used the 510 but I have the 520 and am very happy with it. The E620 looks very interesting, but I don't know if I would use the art filters since I don't like to do a lot of post processing, but I like the new LCD.

I've only had mine for a few months, but I was also considering the Canon XSI. They both felt good, but the Oly felt better in my hands. I also got a much better deal on the E520. What doesn't get a lot of mention is the super control panel on the Olympus. With it, you can change any number of settings very quickly and easily without going into the menu system. That's the same on both the 510 and 520 and I assume also the 620.

The kit lenses on the Olympus are considered to be some of the best quality out there.

Any of your choices will take excellent pictures. Have fun looking!:)

[jann1033]

for what it's worth, i just read a pop photo from last yr( think it was dec or nov, 08) on entry type dslrs and they said the canon first, then i think nikon was second, pentax and sony(?it's in the car or i'd look it up, you might be able to look it up online) tied for third. it was an interesting article as they divided it in 5 areas, not just iq but ease of use etc. i will say personally i haven't read a bad review( there could be one somewhere and i didn't see it of course) of the xsi which is kind of rare not to see someone hate any camera out there

[annnewjerz]

First---what kind of film slr do you have right now? If you already have lenses accumulated, you may want to consider staying with the same manufacturer as you are currently using because most dslrs are compatible with the older film lenses.

I'm not sure what your budget is, what you are looking to get out of your dslr or what the others in this list cost...but I did want to comment. I have the Nikon D90 (just upgraded from the D60) and you are definitely NOT paying more just because of the video capability.

Like I said, I know nothing about the other cameras on the list and what they have compared to this camera---but here are some things I like about it so far:

- FANTASTIC performance at higher ISOs
- Video (although I haven't used it yet, I'm sure I'll like it for a clip here or there)
- Nice big, bright LCD screen
- Depth of field preview button
- Live view on the LCD (although I don't think I'll use it)
- More in camera photo effects than my D60 had (i.e. fisheye effect)
- Higher frames per second when shooting

I think that all of the choices you have listed would be great cameras for you. As most people recommended to me---go out and feel them, see how you like them in your hands.

Good luck and happy shopping!!

[ukcatfan]

Like I said, I know nothing about the other cameras on the list and what they have compared to this camera---but here are some things I like about it so far:

- FANTASTIC performance at higher ISOs
- Video (although I haven't used it yet, I'm sure I'll like it for a clip here or there)
- Nice big, bright LCD screen
- Depth of field preview button
- Live view on the LCD (although I don't think I'll use it)
- More in camera photo effects than my D60 had (i.e. fisheye effect)
- Higher frames per second when shooting



I didn't realize that you had to go all the way up to a D90 before getting a DOF preview with Nikon. I guess I just took it for granted b/c it is on every Pentax I believe. I would be very unhappy without it. I use it quite often.

[annnewjerz]

I didn't realize that you had to go all the way up to a D90 before getting a DOF preview with Nikon. I guess I just took it for granted b/c it is on every Pentax I believe. I would be very unhappy without it. I use it quite often.


It might be on the D80, not sure. Just mentioned the D90 because it was the one in the list. I just know it isn't on the D40, D40x and D60 didn't have it. That's a nice feature to have on all Pentax models, minus one for Nikon! ;)

[minie_meese]

I would go to a camera shop and get the feel of the different cameras. Try them with lenses other than the kit lenses too. I used an Olympus OM-1 for over 15 years and loved it but the quick feedback of digital and the decrease in price for DSLRs prompted me to switched to a DSLR about 1 1/2 years ago. I looked at Nikon, Olympus and Canon. I liked the feel of the Canon best. The weight of the Canon (mine is an XTi) was also a deciding factor for me. The size also felt good in my hands. The battery lasts a long time between charges but I did purchase a second battery. The LCD is good size and pretty easy to see except in very bright light. I tend to shoot in manual mode mostly because of my film camera experience but in bright light I find that I use a semi-auto mode. I rarely use automatic mode. The one thing I would have done differentially would have been to not get the kit lens. It was too slow. I like to take low light pictures and minimize use of flash so I replaced it within a few months. I gave the lens to my sister and she is quite happy with it. I also love the continuous shoot feature.

Good luck in finding the right camera for you.

[PhotobearSam]

I vote for whichever one feels better in your hands...

I like Canon but some people like the way Nikon feels and handles so they Nikon, others like the Olympus, some like the sonny...Etc etc

I really think that feel, does it fit the size of your hands, will you need a battery grip, do you like where the buttons are at, etc is more important than anything because if it does not feel right, you won't use it as much.

[handicap18]

The problem with comparing those camera's is they are all very different in size. The Olympus' dSLR's are very small, the XSi is bigger but still on the small side, the D90 is the larger of them and very close in size to my N70 film SLR.

The vast majoroity of people aren't getting the D90 for its video, but for its image sensor which is the same as the Nikon D300.

I also don't think they're all in the same "class". I belive the XSi is more of an entry level and the D90 is more of an advanced (though not as high as a lower end "pro"). I don't know much about the Olympus' line other than they are built smaller and also use a smaller image sensor (yet still much larger than any PnS).

Not knowing what you have for your film equipment doesn't help. As others have mentioned, there is a very good possibility your current film SLR lens collection will work on a dSLR body.

All the dSLR's (at least comparing similar bodies in the same class) are going to have many of the same features. The biggest difference is going to be the layout of the buttons and the actual size. Basically, how it fits in YOUR hands. Go to Best Buy or a local camera shop (maybe even Sears, Wal-Mart and/or Target will carry these models) and play with each camera. See how they feel, how its fits, how much it weighs. Thats going to be your biggest decision maker.

[bob100]

I chose the Canon XSi (450D) for the smaller size and good quality, you're also buying into the "Canon system" for selection of lens. With the entry level Canon Rebel series you can get the camera and two lens (covering 18mm - 250mm) for less than $800.

[boBQuincy]

After almost 8 years with Canon's D30, 10D, and 30D I wanted to see if the smaller, lighter, entry level Xsi could deliver. It does!
The Rebel series is small and those with large hands will probably not be happy with it. I feel manual mode is highly overrated and almost always use P or Aperture (mostly for HDR). The camera's metering system is very good.

Will the equivalent models from Nikon and others have similar image quality and features? Probably, there are very few losers in today's crop of dSLRs.

Xsi results? http://www.suzieandbob.com/wdw/feb_09/