Why Olympus?

[Carol Chan]

I'm just curious. Why does anyone use Olympus over one of the big brands like Canon and Nikon? Is there something special about this brand? If so, what is it?

[Mr. Pickles]

I myself was drawn to Olympus by their innovative ideas that Canon and Nikon fans laughed their arses off at, and now incorporate into their own cameras. Things like Live View, Dust Reduction, etc. Now the newer Olympus bodies contain in-body Image Stabilization, which is a good compromise between none and in-lens stabilization.

I think their idea of re-engineering themselves by developing a brand new all-digital platform from the ground up was an interesting innovative idea also. Canon, Nikon, Sigma, etc have had to do a lot of work to make their existing lenses work with their new digital cameras and have introduced new digital only lenses that don't work on all their bodies, which isn't a grand idea, but some are okay with it. Olympus DSLR bodies are capable of accepting old Olympus OM lenses via an adapter, and most every other camera makers lenses to via adapters, except Canon. Which isn't odd because some Canons can't take a Canon lens.

There are those that think the sensor size itself is too small, but that is for them to decide. Many more smaller sensors are sold in the world than larger ones.

Finally, out of camera images form Olympus cameras looked better and required less post processing than similarly shot Canon images. Less time tweaking images from the camera was and can be a good thing for those not shooting professionally where ever image is post processed with a trained eye.

And then there is the "I just want to be different" factor.

[Paul Shields]

Carol, I sometimes have asked myself the same question in the past, but I think Olympus have hit a home run with the E-3. It has all of the great qualities of the E-1 and adds excellent features such as IS and Live View. It has always been great image quality wise I believe - the lenses are really excellent and range from cheap to hugely expensive. As Pickles says, you really don't need much post processing as they are very sharp and accurate across the frame - whether extreme wide angle (14mm+) to telephoto (600mm+).

Compared to my 5D it's just a lot less work required to get a good shot straight out of the camera, and they are definitely upping the ante with their current releases. To me it all looks good, but it always seems to take a lot of convincing to those who are committed to their own brand to see beyond the 'smaller' sensor and realise that it's not an issue at all.

[craftysnapper]

Guess its one of those undefinable things you only experience by using one...which accounts for all the negative things said about them by people who have never used them.

[Olyirrisistity]

I got into Olympus digital because I was a user of OM cameras. I got into OM cameras because of their small form factor. Now, these are only something that attracted me initially but I think other, less obvious qualities (? ) that keep me interested in Olympus cameras.

[rjones315]

I have the evolt 500. I like the camera, but my main pet peive is a lack of selection of lenses. I want to shoot wildlife photos, but would like a longer lens.

Also I feel the viewfinder is quite small.

So Why did I pick it over a canon d50 which is what I was looking at. Well, I liked the Olympus kit lenses better. They had metal bodies and seemed more durable. The canon kits are plastic and cheesey feeling.

Cost was another factor. Olympus was less expensive.

Regards,
Bob J

[silentrob]

I'm also using the evolt e-500. There were a number of selling points for me. The price was first. I could have bought a used d70s or somesuch for about the same price, but being my first digital SLR I preferred to go with something covered under warranty. (Of course if the d40 could have focused my existing Nikon lenses I might have gone with that...) The second reason is the size and weight. I can walk around town all day long with my 14-45mm lens on this camera in a small bag and barely notice it.

I have to agree with rjones on the availibility of lenses though. Luckily I don't really need the longer lenses... From what I've looked at though, it's not that the lenses don't exist, it's the limited availibility. A big factor is that there isn't a huge secondhand market for Olympus lenses, keeping the costs high. I would love to have something like the 50 f/1.8 that is available for Canon or Nikon for under $100 (or the 1.4 for a little more). The closest Olympus seems to have is a 30mm (60mm effective with crop) f/1.4 for $300+ when I last looked. That said, the kit lenses have been wonderful for me except in the occasional low light situation...

[Bill Gordon]

Carol, for your information Olympus is one of the big brands!!

[John Wills]

For me buying the E-500 last January was based primarily on the size of the camera and its weight.....secondly was based on more bang for my hard earned $ (ok so I dont really work that hard but...) the size and weight meant more to me than all other factors as I do a lot of canoeing and back packing so the weight of things I carry is very important....and as of Sat . I am the owner of an E-510 for much the same reasons .

[Malakor]

I bought my E-3** because it's tonal depth and saturation made for images that were almost 3-D in effect, giving a very realistic interpretation of the original scene.

I also picked it up cheap so that may have some bearing on it.

[alangroberts]

I have been interested in photography since I was about 8. I still have my first camera - a Kodak fold out bellows type camera. In 1977, my first year as an architecture student, I bought my first 35mm camera, an Olympus Trip. It was a well made gem of a camera that took excellent photographs. I saved up and in 1978 bought my first SLR. I evaluated Nikon (too expensive for me) Minolta - too big and clunky, Konica (was worried about brand longevity) Pentax K1000 and MX (I think it was) and the Olympus OM1. I came down to the Pentax and OM1 and decided, based on specs, feel and look to go for the OM1. (I still have it). It had great build quality, fantastic compact size and a quiet smooth shutter. In 1984 I bought an OM2n - again due to compact size and technology ahead of everyone else - off the film exposure measured during exposure of the film - later copied by others. Also bought a T32 flash and had stunning results with it. The camera and system were fantastic. In +/- 1999 I bought a second OM2n then, in about 2002 or so, I bought two OM4Ti's which, in my opinion, are possibly the best film SLR's made. I love the brand for its quality and innovation. In about 2002 I bought my first digital - an Olympus C2040 - and had great results with it then, in +/- 2003/4 upgraded to the C5050 - a 5MP camera with great build quality. I also had stunning results with it. I agonized over DSLR's and, after evaluating all of the major brands again in 2006, I bought an E-1 with 14-54, then added the 11-22, 50-200, 8mm fisheye & 50 mm macro. Again, for me, the build quality, feel and results are outstanding. And now, three days ago, my E-3 arrived. Overall I am very impressed with it. Image quality has been excellent - and I only have a few small areas of concern. The USB connection - rather than having a decent hinged cover like the E-1 has a rubber bendable cover which I doubt very much will last. It seems like a pretty stupid idea. Also, no protective cover is supplied for the large monitor screen. Cameras on straps hang and invariably the back hits one's belt buckle and so on and gets scratched. It seems kind of dumb to not provide or design a protective cover like the E-1 has and I think that surely their design engineers should have figured this one out. The E-3 also has no firewire connection. I rate the build and quality of the E-1 at 10 and the E-3 at 9. People rave about the design of the E-3 but I think it looks clunky and top-heavy. It is too tall and certainly not as compact and elegant as the E-1... But this is not enough to make me want a different camera.
So, why Olympus? Because I have a long history, 30 years, of great success and stunning results with them. (I'm actually very glad that Olympus isn't churning out a new professional E-type camera every year or two. I have never understood why so many people clamor about wanting a new camera every other year - I certainly don't have the money for that. In my opinion so many of the other brands are just like car manufacturers - tweaking something small then bringing out the "new model" that everyone falls for and rushes out and buys).
And another reason for Olympus, - I enjoy having a camera that is not dime a dozen, seen on every street corner.

[Mr. Pickles]

Concerning the USB connection cover. Do you actually use the USB connection? I assumed it was for plugging the camera into a computer to transfer the files? If so, isn't a compact flash reader a better option? Just curious on your (or others) thoughts.

I can see your point on the LCD cover. Most cameras do NOT have one. Haven't seen any swivels that had one.

I think a LOT of people rate the E-3 a tick below the E-1 in build, style, etc. Might be more about how great the E-1 was/is, rather than stating that the E-3 is lacking? Hard to maintain that level possibly? Mercedes-Benz is a good example of this "slippage"...

[alangroberts]

I have had one bad experience with a card reader so far that has made me a bit wary of using them. I popped the card in it, downloaded the shots to my computer and deleted them - and the card was then no longer readable nor detectable by my camera. Thus, I usually connect the camera directly and allow the Olympus software to delete the shots on the card once the download is complete. I have not had any problems with my cards so far doing this. Occasionally however I run out of space and have to use a new card - then I end up using my card reader. I'm always anxious about it until I get the card back in the camera to see if it still works...
As far as the monitor screen goes, I found the following site "shieldzone.com" and orderd a custom shield for my E-3. Time will tell if it works.
I also couldn't help but notice my E-1 was built in Japan and my E-3 in China. I know just about everything is built in China these days for economic reasons but I just have more confidence in the "Made in Japan" label. Nevertheless, I am very pleased to have my E-3 and am sure I will be an Olympus customer for many years to come.

[Mr. Pickles]

I never delete the images off the card while connected to the computer (via a card reader). To get them off the card, I format the card in the camera.

[Nikonfreak]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pickles

I never delete the images off the card while connected to the computer (via a card reader). To get them off the card, I format the card in the camera.

Amen brother!

You speak the truth! 'tis the only way to do it.

I even make sure to copy images to a backup drive externally before I delete the memory cards.

Mark McCall really hit it almost on the head in that you can almost just bill a certain size memory card to a job anymore and just store the memory cards.

I saw 12 Gig Extreme III cards on Amazon for $149 with a $30 mail in rebate or something crazy.

Julio

[Mr. Pickles]

Originally Posted by Nikonfreak

I saw 12 Gig Extreme III cards on Amazon for $149 with a $30 mail in rebate or something crazy.

What? For real? Holy Moly..........